Indian state revokes 2022 order, allows hijab in schools
The Indian state of Karnataka has withdrawn its February 2022 order on school uniforms and issued new guidelines that permit students to wear a limited range of traditional and religion-based symbols alongside prescribed uniforms in government, aided and private schools and pre-university colleges. The fresh order formally revokes the earlier directive that had required strict […]
The controversy over the use of hijab in mission schools in Kwara State has been long running
The Indian state of Karnataka has withdrawn its February 2022 order on school uniforms and issued new guidelines that permit students to wear a limited range of traditional and religion-based symbols alongside prescribed uniforms in government, aided and private schools and pre-university colleges.
The fresh order formally revokes the earlier directive that had required strict adherence to uniforms without religious symbols, a move that had sparked a political flashpoint centred on the wearing of the hijab.
Under the new rules, institutions must continue to enforce the prescribed uniforms set by their authorities.
Students are now allowed to wear items such as the turban or peta, sacred thread, shivadara, rudraksha beads, and the headscarf or hijab, provided these symbols complement the uniform and do not compromise discipline, safety, the identification of students, or the overall purpose of the uniform policy.
The government stated that no student shall be denied entry to classrooms, examinations or any academic activities solely for wearing these permitted symbols with the uniform.
At the same time, no student can be compelled either to wear or to remove such symbols.
School and college authorities have been instructed not to harass or discriminate against students on these grounds and to ensure that no child is denied access to education while upholding institutional discipline.
Reacting, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), in a statement, welcomed “this important step toward restoring religious freedom and equal access to education for Muslim students in India.
“No student should be forced to choose between their faith and their education. Policies targeting the hijab stigmatise Muslim women and girls and undermine the fundamental right to practice one’s religion freely.” (NDTV)