With colleges set to reopen on Wednesday and tight security and prohibitory orders in place in sensitive areas, Minister for Higher Education C.N. Ashwath Narayan has clarified that no uniform is stipulated in degree colleges, and hence, students are free to wear the dress of their choice.
This comes in the backdrop of complaints that the “no hijab” rule was being implemented in some places without a clear understanding of the High Court’s interim order.
The Minister told mediapersons in Chamarajanagar on Tuesday, ‘’But in schools and pre-university colleges where a dress code or a uniform has been prescribed, it is imperative to follow the rules.” He added, ‘’The rules were not framed overnight. They are not in favour of, or against anyone, but for the collective good, and they should be adhered to.”
With colleges starting on Wednesday, in Bengaluru, the police have been directed to step up vigil around educational institutions. This is in addition to prohibitory orders around a 200-m radius across schools and colleges and other educational institutions in place till February 22.
Arguments with teachers
On Tuesday, cases of high school students being barred entry for wearing hijab, citing the High Court interim order, continued in some places.
High school students wearing hijab and their parents entered into arguments with school staff in parts of Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan districts. Several students spoke to the media questioning the government’s rule on the issue and that teachers had not read the High Court’s interim order fully. They argued that the interim order, which banned hijab and saffron shawl, was for colleges, and not schools. Further, they said girls were covering their heads with a veil, which is a part of the school uniform.
At the Government High School at Indavara in Chikkamagaluru taluk, following arguments, school authorities declared a holiday. Parents opposed the decision and said that schools should not be closed as the final examination was approaching. Meanwhile, a boy took out a saffron shawl from his bag. The police deployed at the school intervened and succeeded in convincing him to put it back in his bag.
A similar incident was reported at Mudigere where a girl argued that she had the right to wear hijab and nobody, including her parents, could force her to remove it.
In Shivamogga, a few girls walked out of Karnataka Public School as they were not allowed inside wearing hijab. On Monday too, 13 students had skipped SSLC preparatory examination.
At a meeting convened by the College Development Committee of Government PU College at Ripponpet in Hosanagar taluk in Shivamogga district, some students made it clear that they would not attend classes on Wednesday if they were not allowed to wear hijab.
In Udupi district, teachers at the Government Urdu Secondary School in a village in Kaup taluk complained that some students turned up on Tuesday sporting hijab which they were not wearing earlier.
Deputy Director of Department of Public Instruction, Udupi, Govinda Madiwal, told The Hindu that the students who turned up with hijab were allowed into their respective classrooms. Those from Class X were allowed to write the Social Science paper of the preparatory examination.
Later, parents were asked not to make changes in the dress code at a meeting. The police were in big number outside the school as a large number people, including relatives of the students, had gathered.
