The father of an 8th-grade student, who was reportedly denied permission to wear a hijab at a Catholic school in Kochi, announced on Friday that he will be obtaining a transfer certificate (TC) for his daughter and enrolling her in a new school.
PM Anas, the student’s father, stated that the school management insisted on a written declaration that his daughter would adhere to the school’s uniform policy. This comes after the general education department had previously indicated that the student had the right to wear a hijab as part of her religious freedom.
Anas explained his decision to reporters, citing two main reasons: the school principal’s comment that his daughter wearing a hijab would instill fear in other students, which caused significant mental distress to his daughter, and the possibility of communal conflict arising from her continued attendance at the school, despite the education department’s favorable ruling.
He mentioned that education department officials had offered their full support for his daughter’s continued education at the current school.
Meanwhile, the school principal, Sr. Heleena, reiterated that the school was prepared to educate the student as long as she followed its rules and regulations, indicating no flexibility on the dress code regarding the hijab.
The state’s General Education Minister, V. Sivankutty, stated in Thiruvananthapuram that school officials would be held accountable if the student experienced mental distress due to the ongoing situation. He emphasized that no school management should operate independently without oversight.
Kerala High Court Declines Interim Stay on DDE Report
The Kerala High Court on Friday refused to grant an interim stay on the Deputy Director of Education’s (DDE) report, which had instructed the school to allow the student to wear her hijab.
Despite the school’s plea for a stay, Justice VG Arun commented that he could not grant it. The court has requested the State Attorney to obtain further instructions from the State government regarding the DDE report’s directives.