Karnataka hijab row: Half of students who dropped out of colleges didn't pursue studies

Nearly 40 to 50% of the 145 Muslim girl students, who had dropped out of government and aided degree colleges, have not resumed studies, with many of them now married.

Mangaluru/Udupi: Following the state government’s revocation of the 2022 Hijab order, principals of colleges in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi said that nearly 40 to 50 per cent of the 145 Muslim girl students, who had dropped out of government and aided degree colleges, have not resumed studies, with many of them now married.

"Jasmeen, a first-year BCom student at Government First Grade College, Kavoor, who dropped out after being barred from wearing the hijab inside classrooms, got married a year ago,” her father, K Mohammed Usman, told DH.

“Aminamma, after dropping out of college due to the Hijab controversy, is also not keen on returning to college as she too will be getting married in a few weeks,” Aminamma’s mother told DH.

Rayana Suhana, after dropping out of college, learnt tailoring and has been supporting her family with the money earned from the work.

Suhana from Chokkabettu, on the city’s outskirts, said that with the government lifting the ban on wearing the Hijab, she needs to consult her father on pursuing her education.

Riyaz Ahmed, general secretary of the Muslim Educational Institutions Federation (MEIF), said only a few students dropped out of colleges and got married.

“The remaining Muslim girls from government and aided colleges enrolled in private colleges which had not implemented a ban on Hijab in toto,” Riyaz told DH. 

‘Tool to divide’

“The 2022 order banning Hijab was used as a tool to create divisions among students,” said Rajshekar Hebbar, former principal of Dr P Dayananda Pai-P Satish Pai Government First Grade College, Car Street, Mangaluru, which witnessed the highest dropout of 35 girls students. 

‘Dreams shattered’

Bengaluru-based psychologist Ruksana Hassan said, “The dreams of these girls of becoming doctors or IAS officers have been nipped in the bud due to a government order.”

Ruksana visits Mangaluru regularly to deliver talks to students at different colleges.

“Even those who are married are not leading happy married lives due to marital discord and divorces,” she said. 

‘Restoration of right’

Aliya Asadi, who, by insisting on wearing the Hijab had sparked a legal battle over religious freedom in education, has expressed her gratitude to God through a post on the social media platform X. Her friend Almas A H retweeted that post. 

Aliya Asadi, who is also an activist, said that the government’s decision to revoke the hijab ban should not be seen as a “favour” done to the Muslim community, but as a restoration of a ‘fundamental right’ denied for the past three years.

‘Conduct re-exams’

“As corrective measures, the government should now conduct re-examinations for the students who had missed examinations due to the restrictions and provide compensation to teachers who have lost their livelihoods. Justice would only be complete when those excluded from the education system are accommodated back into it,” Aliya emphasised in an interview with a private channel.