At the centre of this year’s Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination is the hijab row, following the Education Department’s circular two days before the exam directing all students to wear only prescribed uniforms to exams. Though most students across the State complied with the guidelines, one student refused to remove the garment and did not appear for the examination at Ilkal in Bagalkot district.
The student in Ilkal was dropped off at the government high school, which was an examination centre, by her brother. When the authorities asked her to remove the headscarf, she refused and her brother reportedly argued on her behalf with the teachers. When the staff refused to budge, the student went back home with her brother.
Across the State, in many centres, special rooms had been allotted for students to remove their hijab before entering the examination halls. Students removed the hijab where it is not a part of the school’s uniform. However, in the case of schools where hijab is a part of the uniform, students appeared for the examination wearing the garment.
