Karnataka students insisting on hijab likely to miss exams

Bengaluru, February 23

Karnataka students, especially those studying in Class 10 and Class 12, who are not ready to appear in exams without hijab are likely to miss their annual exams.

As per the Karnataka High Court’s interim order, students are not allowed to wear hijab inside the classrooms. The annual examinations for SSLC (Class 10) and second PUC (Class 12) are scheduled to be held in April.

The authorities have started issuing hall tickets to the students. However, some protesting students are refusing to collect their hall tickets.

The education department, according to high-level sources, has decided not to allow the students to appear in supplementary exams, which will be held for those who fail in the exams and opt for re-examination.

The authorities in Vijayanagara district have continued the prohibitory orders for around 250 pre-university (PU) and 80 graduation colleges.

Many students have boycotted the exams insisting to appear in the exams wearing hijab.

As many as 1.25 lakh students belonging to minority communities study in PU colleges across the state. Among them, about 84,000 are girl students.

The number of girls insisting on hijab is close to 1,000 and as the examinations approach, their numbers are also decreasing, sources said.

Education Minister BC Nagesh stated that those who come in uniform will not face any problem, but the administration cannot be “lenient” towards students sporting hijab.

—IANS