Class X exam supervisor removed after Gujarat school asks Muslim students to remove hijab

The exam supervisor who was removed was identified as Ilaben Suratiya, also the principal of the school, which was an exam centre for Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB).

Raulji told The Indian Express that the incident occurred on Wednesday ahead of the Senior Secondary Certificate (SSC) exam at Lions School, where invigilators were seen “collecting veils” of students. “I received a complaint from a parent who alleged that his ward was asked to remove hijab while appearing for the exam at Lions School on Wednesday… On checking CCTV camera footage, the complaint was found to have merit and so, I pulled out the Board exam supervisor of the school and ordered further inquiry,” Raulji said.

“The school, in its primary explanation, has verbally said that students were asked to remove the veil so that their faces can be matched with the image on the hall ticket,” she added. The CCTV footage shows two invigilators and a helper going around the class and collecting hijabs of some Muslim students.

Raulji said the students had also appeared for an exam on Tuesday as well in the school but no such complaint was received. “The complaint stated that it was on the second day, on Wednesday, that the student was asked to take off the veil… We have received one complaint but there could be more students who were asked to remove their veil as CCTV footage shows more than one student. We are looking into it,” she added.

The father of the student, who studies in a Gujarati medium school, also filed a complaint with the Ankleshwar police station on Thursday.

He said, “The school lowered the morale of the students even before the exam began. It was not just one child but around 15 girls were treated similarly… They belonged to different schools. They disturbed the students and also harassed them. Some cried at the spot and were not able to write their exams well.”

“My daughter returned home and cried because others in the room had looked at her like she had committed some crime,” the father added.

Suratiya defended the action, stating that ensuring clear video recordings of all students’ faces was the rationale behind the request. “We had begun checking students before they entered their respective classrooms… and found one student, who had scribbled notes for copying. At that time, we told all female students wearing the scarf (hijab) that they should take it off, as their face would not be visible in the video, which is mandatorily sent to the Board. It is necessary that 80 per cent of a student’s face is visible in the video.”

“We missed one student perhaps and she entered the classroom wearing a hijab. It took us a few seconds to politely instruct her to remove her veil when she was attempting the paper so that we do not have to disturb her during the exam,” she added.

However, Deputy Director of GSHSEB, M K Raval, said that it is not a rule that the face of a student has to be visible in the cameras during exams. “Since there is no uniform applicable in Board exams, there are no specific instructions about what the students should wear while appearing for the exam. It is not a standing instruction that the face of the students has to be visible in the cameras. As far as verification is concerned, any female staff of the examination centre can verify the identity of the student with the receipt and be allowed to write the exam in whatever outfit she desires.”

Raulji added, “There is no explicit mention of any prohibitions in the attire of students and so, once identification has been done, students are allowed to wear outfits of their preference and appear for the exam.”

Members of the Muslim community as well as parents of some students gathered at the school to protest on Thursday. They also handed over a memorandum to the DEO.