Public schools Federal Council rejects ban on children wearing headscarves in schools
The Federal Council does not want to ban schoolgirls from wearing headscarves in public schools. It argues that the current law sufficiently ensures that all girls can take part in school, sports and swimming lessons.
22.10.2025, 12:29
SDA
The Federal Council examined such a ban after receiving a corresponding mandate from the National Council in 2024. On Wednesday, it wrote in a press release that this is an area within the jurisdiction of the cantons.
In individual cases, cantonal authorities had issued headscarf bans for schoolgirls. This had given the Federal Supreme Court the opportunity to clarify the legal situation. In a landmark ruling in 2015, the court ruled that a general ban on children wearing headscarves in public schools was not constitutional.
The Federal Council also believes that the state, and therefore also public schools, should remain neutral with regard to religious symbols. For these reasons, it is against a general ban on children's headscarves in schools.
