It is the dynamics of the classroom.
The teacher has to be able to actually see your face to be able to have a meaningful person to person communication*. Furthermore you must physically attend to pass the classroom courses, meaning that the teacher must be able to recognize you and confirm that it is actually you.
You don't have to see someone's face to do that though. There is the voice, the mannerisms that are individual to that student, height, walk etc. The face doesn't actually have to be included.
The other university colleges have had similar rules for years (without problems).
Not sure what you mean here? that it is only now these niqabis are making a fuss? or there were no niqabis before?
*Have you ever taught or given talks to people?
I do regularly, and an audience you cannot "read" is horrible. It is exhausting not to get any feedback, and you have absolutely no idea, whether they get the points or not.
It will of course depend on the teaching style. I you want the recipients to just sit quietly and receive, it may be fine. But the teaching style used in Denmark requires active participation and is considered a collaboration between the teacher and the pupil.
Doesn't really sound like a collaboration between the teacher and the pupil though, it sounds like the same tired old authoritarian style, that requires the student to display acceptable visible markers before they are worthy to be taught.
I lecture at uni, and like Cornflower, I have had no issues teaching the 2 students in my class who wear niqabs. I can engage with their eyes, and their voices, I know it's them. This is how I receive feedback.
There is no barrier to communication for me. I most definitely wouldn't insist they remove it just to make myself happy.
I mean generally that is all it is about. The niqab makes others feel uncomfortable. Also it's a highly visible marker of 'otherness', and given how often through history, high markers of otherness are generally squished out, it comes as no surprise that some people believe that the niqab interferes with communication.
It's just another thing to police. Afro hair, long hair on boys, the niqab, etc etc. The list of things that somehow interfere with a teacher's ability to teach, or the school's ability to function is actually quite fucking long.
Just to make it clear I am against what the niqab represents, but it does not hamper me as a teacher, if my student has it on.
Topic: Niqabs and education... How can you not love the fundamentalists?