India’s Kerala Schools Allow Hijab

Management of several schools run by non-Muslims in India's southern tropical state of Kerala have issued a decision allowing hijab from Class I, following several demands by Muslim parents.

"Due to increasing demand from Muslim parents that their daughters be allowed to wear scarf from Class I, our management agreed," Santha Vijayan, principal of Viswadeepti Vidyalaya Public School in Aluva, told Times of India.
In the state’s schools, both Muslim and other managements allowed Muslim girls to wear Islamic headscarves, or hijab, only from Class V.
After the introduction of Islamic Studies, Qur’an classes and arrangements for Friday prayers by private schools, calls increased for allowing hijab from Class I.
"We have given permission to wear scarves even in lower classes. However, we have put a condition that they can only wear white or black scarves," said N M George, principal of Toc H Public School at Vyttila.
"Ideally, we don't want children in lower classes to wear scarf. But if parents insist, we don't oppose it," said Devamatha CMI Public School principal Fr Shaju Edamana.
These measures, however, were viewed by many as a bid from Kerala private schools to woo Muslim students.
"Schools in areas where Muslims are dominant are keen to please parents and ensure student strength,” confederation of Kerala Sahodaya complexes president K Unnikrishnan said.
“They fear that if they don't allow children to wear scarves from Class I or don't introduce Qur’an or Islamic studies, then parents would be reluctant to send their children to the school," he added.
On the other hand, some Islamic schools said they have decided not to allow students to wear a scarf till class IV.
"There were some parents who protested but we told them that till Class III we follow the Montessori method of education in which we encourage students to wear casual clothes and it is not fair to ask them to wear a scarf," said Asha Byju, principal of MES International School in Pattambi.
Muslims account for 160 million of India's 1.1 billion people, the world's third-largest Muslim population after those of Indonesia and Pakistan.
Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.
A Muslim woman is obliged to wear hijab as soon as she reaches puberty and Muslim parents should encourage their daughters to wear it.
Forcing girls under the age of wearing hijab is against the Islamic teachings.
Source: On Islam