Kerala hijab row: Parents accept school uniform code

On Tuesday, following conciliatory talks between the girl’s parents and school authorities in the presence of Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, Anas agreed to adhere to the school’s dress code and help resolve the dispute

Kochi: A controversy over a student being denied permission to wear a hijab (headscarf) at a school in Kerala’s Ernakulam district appeared to have been resolved on Tuesday, with the student’s father agreeing to follow the school’s uniform code following mediation talks. At the same time, the education department’s inquiry report recommended that the student be allowed to wear the hijab as part of her religious beliefs.

The row had broken out at the St Rita’s Public School in Palluruthy, managed by the Catholic Church. (HT PHOTO)

The row had broken out at the St Rita’s Public School in Palluruthy, managed by the Catholic Church, after PM Anas, the father of a class 8 girl student, insisted that his daughter be allowed to wear the hijab during classes, a demand that the school authorities did not agree to, citing its uniform code. Authorities decided to suspend classes at the school on Monday and Tuesday after the student’s father, along with a few others, reportedly created a scene on its premises.

On Tuesday, following conciliatory talks between the girl’s parents and school authorities in the presence of Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, Anas agreed to adhere to the school’s dress code and help resolve the dispute.

“My daughter and I have decided to adhere to what the school management prescribes. I don’t want this to evolve into a communal issue tomorrow. I don’t want to give any space to communal outfits here,” Anas told reporters after the meeting.

Congress MP Hibi Eden alleged that there are ‘some forces operating in and around the school trying to create a communal divide.’

“Anas, the father of the student, has come forward saying that he wants his daughter to study here at the same school by following its rules. It is a great message of secularism. We will not allow any force to disturb the secular spirit of our soil,” he said.

At the same time, General Education Minister V Sivankutty, who had ordered an inquiry based on the complaint filed by the girl’s father, said the department has found serious lapses on the part of the school authorities in preventing the student from attending classes due to her wearing the hijab.

“According to the investigation report of the deputy education director, expelling the student from class for wearing a headscarf is a serious misconduct and violation of the Right to Education Act. The school’s action was contrary to the fundamental freedom of religion and beliefs of citizens guaranteed by the Constitution,” the minister said on Facebook.

The report recommends that the student be allowed to wear the hijab as part of her religious belief. “The school can prescribe the hijab’s colour and design...No student should have to face such unfortunate experiences in a state that upholds secular values. We will not allow any educational institution to violate constitutional principles,” the minister said.

The Kerala high court on Monday had granted police protection to the school after it’s management approached the court citing possible law and order issues.

According to school officials, the student and her family had been clearly briefed about the dress code, shirt and pants, when she joined in June this year. While she followed the dress code till October 6, she came the next day wearing a hijab, to which the management objected. The management argued that there were other Muslim students in the school, who followed the uniform policy, and that one student could not be given an exception.