The Kerala Communist government has intervened in a dispute at St. Rita’s Public School in Palluruthy, Kochi, after a Muslim eighth-standard student was barred from wearing a hijab. General Education Minister V. Sivankutty on Tuesday directed the Christian-run private school to permit the student to continue her studies while wearing her religious headscarf and sought an explanation from the management for violating her rights.
The minister said the school’s actions caused mental distress to the student and her parents and constituted a “serious lapse” under the Right to Education Act. Citing an inquiry report by the Ernakulam Deputy Director of Education, Sivankutty stated that the incident amounted to a breach of constitutional rights guaranteeing freedom of religion.
He ordered the school principal and management to address the harm caused and submit a report by 11 AM on Wednesday. “No student should face such hardship in Kerala, which upholds secular values,” Sivankutty said, adding that no educational institution will be permitted to violate constitutional protections.
The report found that the student’s removal from class over her hijab was unlawful, prompting the minister to instruct that she be allowed to attend classes wearing it. However, the school has been given the authority to decide on the colour and design of the headscarf as part of the uniform.
The controversy began when the school declared a two-day holiday on Monday after tensions escalated between the management and the student’s parents. A letter by Principal Sister Heleena Alby, circulated on social media, cited “mental stress” among staff and students following pressure from the student, her parents, and outsiders.
Meanwhile, a PTA representative alleged that the girl’s parents were supported by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) as reported in NDTV, whose members allegedly misbehaved with school authorities, most of whom are nuns. Earlier, Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden said the student’s father was ready to allow his daughter to continue her education in line with school norms.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
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