Kerala education minister orders christian school in Kochi to allow muslim girl in Hijab

NEW DELHI: Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Tuesday directed a Christian-run private school in Kochi to permit a Muslim girl studying there to continue her education while wearing her religious headscarf. The minister also instructed the school's principal and management to address the mental distress caused to the student and her parents in connection with the girl wearing a 'hijab' (religious headscarf) to the institution.

They were directed to submit a report to the minister in this regard by 11 am on Wednesday, a statement issued by Sivankutty's office said. Sivankutty, in the statement, made it clear that no student should face such hardship in Kerala, which upholds secular values. No educational institution will be allowed to violate constitutional rights, he said.

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His directions came following a report submitted by the Ernakulam Deputy Director of Education which said that there was a serious lapse on the part of the school authorities. The report also stated that not allowing the student to attend class because of the headscarf was a serious misconduct and a violation of the Right to Education Act.