If anything indicates the seriousness of the situation in Karnataka, it is this decision to close schools and colleges for a period of three days. No government would take such a decision unless the situation really warranted it, so it has to be inferred that there was no other option to keep the peace. Reports emanating from Karnataka show a clear divide on the issue in question, that is unlikely to die down soon.
The controversy first erupted last month, when at a government PU College in Udupi, six students attended classes wearing the headscarf in violation of the stipulated dress code. They were asked to leave the campus. Since then the row has spread to various other parts of the State. What added to the controversy is an order of the Karnataka Education Department last week, that directed educational institutions in the State to follow the dress code decided by the college’s development board or, in case of no such dress code, “students can wear dress which will not affect equality, integrity and law and order”.
The controversy has now also reached the courts and may not die down soon as questions have been raised of whether the government can take a stance of any kind if a student wears a hijab to an educational institute. As the controversy began, some institutions permitted the hijab in the campus but not in the classroom. The protests that have erupted have seen a clear division in opinion, with sections for wearing the headscarf and others against the wearing of the hijab by Muslim women students in classrooms. It is unfortunate that this row has now been given a political slant, with political parties taking stances for and against. It should not have been about politics but only about education. Politics has to be kept out of this issue.
What is important to understand is that a dress code should not come in the way of education. The students who are wearing a hijab to the classroom are doing it due to their religious beliefs. Should this bar them from entering the classroom? Is it in any way affecting the teaching process? These are questions that the government and civil society should address, before the controversy grows further. It should never be allowed to escalate. The State has to find a solution to this. The Karnataka government has declared a closure of educational institutions for three days. This should be the period to allow for rational thought and a solution that is in the interests of all stakeholders found to the issue.
The dress code of an institution should not stop students from having access to education. The academic year is coming to an end and this would be the time when students are completing their tasks for the year and preparing for the final exam. For many this would be a crucial period of the year and students require as much classroom teaching and laboratory experience as possible in these end of the academic-year days. The dress code should really not hamper this. The focus has to be on education and all other matters should be secondary. Students have missed out on classroom teaching for long enough due to the pandemic. Their future depends on continuing their studies, completing their education and moving on with their lives. The thoughts should be with the students who are missing out on their education.
