Kerala education minister softens stand on school hijab row

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala education minister V Sivankutty has softened his stand with regard to the hijab (head scarf) row at a school in Kochi.

The minister, who said on Tuesday that any ban on students wearing hijab in schools would not be allowed, said on Wednesday that if the issue could be sorted out through consensus, that would be a better option.

"It is learnt that a consensus was reached on the issue in the mediations initiated by some people's representatives. In that case, let the issue be sorted out by them," said Sivankutty.

Ernakulam (Kochi) MP Hibi Eden said on Tuesday that following a mediation, the student's parents agreed to adhere to the school uniform norms.

The minister's softening of stand came after the Christian management run St. Rita's public school at Palluruthy in Kochi strongly flayed the minister's remarks suggesting that there was serious lapse on the part of the school authorities in denying the "constitutional right" of the student to wear hijab as per her religious belief.

The school authorities cited a 2018 order of the Kerala High Court that allows school managements to decide the uniform. The school management also decided to approach the HC on the matter.

"We never denied the right to education of the student. Even now she is our student and she can attend class by wearing the school uniform. Many other students from the Muslim community are also studying in the school by wearing the school uniform," said the school principal sister Heleena Alby.

Meanwhile, the class VIII student did not turn up at the school on Wednesday. The school that remained closed for two days owing to the issue reopened on Wednesday with police protection.

Various churches had backed the school management and Malayalam daily 'Deepika', the mouthpiece of the Catholic church in Kerala, also wrote an editorial backing the school.