Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty Tuesday directed a CBSE-affiliated school in Kochi to allow a student to wear hijab and continue her studies. Authorities at St Rita Public School at Palluruthy had insisted that allowing a hijab was against the uniform and the management, in an interim order from the High Court, had obtained police protection for the institution. The management had rejected the girl’s plea that she be allowed to wear a hijab, which led to protests. Sivankutty’s directive came hours after the Congress leadership in Ernakulam, led by MP Hibi Eden, met the girl’s father, who told reporters that her daughter would follow the school’s dress code. “My daughter will continue to study at the same school following the uniform. I don’t want to see the issue being exploited by certain quarters,” he said. In a post on Facebook, Sivankutty said a probe by the deputy director of education found serious lapses on the part of the school. As per the report of the deputy director, removing the student from the class on grounds of wearing a hijab is a dereliction of duty and violation of educational rights act, the post read. The act of the school is against the fundamental freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution. The school should allow the student to continue her studies wearing a hijab, which is part of her religious beliefs. The school authorities can decide the colour and design. No student in Kerala should face such an experience and no institution will be allowed to violate Constitutional rights, he said. After meeting the girl’s father, Hibi Eden said, “There are attempts to create communal divide in society on this issue. People from outside are intervening and we will not allow BJP to exploit the situation. Certain organisations in social media have been depicting the issue as a Christian-Muslim issue.” Earlier, the School Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) had said the girl joined in June this year and followed the dress code of pants and shirt until October 6. They said her parents changed their stand on October 6, though they agreed to the dress code during admission. Following agitation, the school has declared a holiday for two days this week.
