MP edu minister backs hijab ban, says hijab not part of uniform

Bhopal: Amid the controversy over wearing a headscarf or hijab in schools escalating in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh School Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar on Tuesday said that since hijab is not part of the uniform, it should be banned.

"Students will be allowed only to wear dress code and hijab is not a part of dress code," Parmar said on Tuesday in Bhopal.

Parmar, while talking to media persons also said that he has directed the school education department to ensure that only dress code is allowed in schools in Madhya Pradesh.

Sources told IANS that the Madhya Pradesh Government is planning to ban hijab in schools. Also, in a video which went viral on social media, Parmar is being heard saying the department is working (school education department) on a dress code for Chief Minister Rise Schools in order to bring uniformity and equality among students.

The minister also claimed that "school uniform isn't connected to any community, it is for all and it was unfortunate that people are connecting it with a community."

The minister's statement backing the ban on hijab in schools was enough to spark a political controversy in the state.

Opposition Congress, while terming the minister's remark as another example of ruling BJP's "mental bankruptcy," accused the minister and state government of working on a divisive agenda even in schools, instead of focusing on improving the quality of education in MP schools.

"The minister needs to tell us what is his priority, working on the proper functioning of schools amid COVID pandemic, improving quality of education by filling vacancies in government schools or pursuing the agenda of communal divide," MP Congress spokesperson Abbas Hafiz said.

This came after a stand-off between hijab wearing girls and saffron shawl wearing students took place in various districts of Karnataka.