The Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations began across Karnataka on March 28. Around 8.73 lakh students have enrolled for the examinations that will be completed on April 11.
At the centre of this year’s examinations is the hijab row. The Karnataka Government had stated categorically that all students should appear for the examination wearing their school uniforms, sans the hijab.
Students across Karnataka complied with the dress code. In many schools, including those in Bengaluru, a room 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 dress code. In the case of schools where hijab is a part of the uniform, students appeared for the examination wearing the garment.
Udupi, Dakshina Kannada
The exams went about smoothly in Udupi district, which is the epicentre of hijab controversy. Students followed the school dress code while appearing for the paper, Udupi Deputy Commissioner M. Kurma Rao told The Hindu.
A total of 29,712 students are appearing for the SSLC examinations in 99 centres in Dakshina Kannada while 14,022 students are appearing for the examinations in 58 centres in Udupi district.
Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra had issued a circular on March 27 evening reiterating that students of government schools should come to the examination centre in the dress prescribed by the school. The list of students of schools, which has hijab as part of the uniform, should be made available by the respective Block Education Officer to the examination centres. The teachers and education officials at these centres had been asked to verify the names of such students and allow them to appear for the examination with the hijab.
Accordingly, Muslim girls from aided and unaided schools were allowed to attempt the exam at the Karnataka Public School in Montepadavu in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada. It is among examination centres in the taluk that has mix of students from schools which do not have hijab as part of the uniform and those which allow the garment as part of the uniform. A total of 325 students turned up at the examination centre.
Bantwal taluk has the most number of Muslim students appearing for the examinations in Dakshina Kannada district.
Hassan
Chaos and tension prevailed for some time at Mary Immaculate Girls High School in Shivamogga as honey bees attacked a few parents who had visited the school to drop their children for the SSLC examination.
A few parents suffered bee stings, even as the teaching staff ensured that students got inside classrooms. Parents and journalists, who were stung by bees, were later taken to Mc Gann Hospital for treatment.
Special rooms
In Hassan, many Muslim girl students entered the examination halls after removing the hijab. The Education Department had set aside a room in each centre for the girls to remove the hijab.
K.S. Prakash, DDPI, said a room had been designated for girls to remove the hijab in all 94 centres where exams were being held. “As per the guidelines from the Karnataka Government, nobody with the hijab should be allowed inside the examination hall. Every student has been following the guideline,” he said
Over 20,900 students are appearing for the examinations in the district.
According to information made available by the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board, the examinations are being held in over 3,440 examination centres. All the centres have CCTV cameras.
Hijab: Student returns home
A student returned home, without appearing for the examination, after school authorities insisted that she remove her hijab, in Ilkal in Bagalkot district.
She was dropped at the examination centre in the government high school in Ilkal by her brother. When school authorities asked her to remove the headscarf, she refused. Her brother argued with the teachers. When the staff refused to budge, the girl told her brother to take her back home, according to school authorities.
