Teachers Suspended for 'Allowing' Hijab-Clad Students to Take Exam in India's Karnataka

On 15 March, the Karnataka High Court upheld a state government's order that stated the hijab could not be worn inside the classroom. The court says in government schools, students should follow the dress code prescribed by the government, while in private schools, the dress code can be decided by the school management.

Seven school officials, including teachers from Gadag District in India's Karnataka state, have been suspended for allegedly allowing Muslim students to attend exams in hijabs.

Teachers, however, denied the allegation, saying that they only allowed students wearing hijab inside the school premises, adding the students had removed their headscarves inside classrooms.

In a video, first shared by Indian news website thequint, teachers can be seen presenting roses to all girl students, including the hijab wearing students, to welcome them into school premises.

In CS Patil School, Gadag, teachers offer roses to welcome students in hijab. The students, however, had to write the examination without the headscarf, to comply by the recent order that banned hijab in SSLC exam halls. ⁦⁦@TheQuint⁩ pic.twitter.com/Pr71rFap45

— Nikhila Henry (@NikhilaHenry) March 28, 2022

A student, requesting anonymity, told Sputnik that giving roses to students was just a welcoming gesture of the school authorities.

It was for the first time in two years, since the outset of the COVID pandemic, when students were appearing physically for their exams, the student stated.

Class 10 exams began on 28 March in Karnataka, for which around 870,000 students have enrolled. However, 20,994 students did not turn up. Last year, the absentees numbered only 3,769.

The exams will last till 11 April.

Following the state's recent High Court order, many Muslim girl students have opted to take their exam without their hijabs. However, a few Muslim girls in Hubballi District and Ilkal town of Bagalkote District were sent back as they declined to remove their hijabs.

Earlier, the Karnataka government had made it clear that everyone would have to comply with the High Court's ruling or else they wouldn't be allowed to attend the exams.