Gadag

The Karnataka Education Department has suspended 7 teachers including 2 superintendents for allowing hijab-clad students to take SSLC (class 10) exams in Gadag district.

The department has also ordered an inquiry on the suspended persons. These teachers and superintendents allowed hijab-clad girls to write exams on Monday at the C.S. Patil Examination Centre in Gadag.

Meanwhile, Sriram Sene Kalaburagi District President, Ninganna Gouda Patil has lodged a complaint with the Block Education Officer of Kalaburagi demanding the suspension of Mohammad Ali, the teacher of Ijeri Urdu School in Jevargi taluk for allowing a student to write exams wearing hijab. In his complaint, he has warned that if action is not taken, a protest will be staged.

Following the Karnataka High Court's dismissal of the petitions filed by students seeking permission to allow them to wear hijab and attend classes, the government has prohibited the wearing of hijab while writing exams in the state.

The majority of students belonging to the minority community are attending exams in uniforms and without hijab. A separate room is being arranged for Muslim students to remove their burqa, hijab and then sit for the exams.

Earlier on Monday, a woman invigilator who was monitoring examinations wearing a hijab was suspended after she refused to take it off in Rajajinagar of Bengaluru. Many students have remained absent or returned home from the examination centres after being asked to remove their headscarves.

As many as 8,73,846 students have enrolled for SSLC exams this academic year among which 4,52,732 are boys and 4,21,110 are girl students. Four students belonging to the third gender and 5,307 specially-abled children are also taking exams. More than 20,000 students had remained absent on the first day of SSLC exams. The SSLC (Class 10) examinations commenced on March 28 and will be held till April 11.