Days after two students at a school in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district were instructed to return home for wearing religious garbs instead of their uniforms, the officials of the Education Department have reportedly directed the school management to allow the students in class without the uniform. It was on Saturday, November 19, that the Infant Jesus School in Tekkali mandal sent back the students who were barefoot, wearing all-black clothes and a ‘mala’ around their neck. The students were apparently observing the Ayyappa Deeksha, a 41-day fast that devotees are supposed to adhere to before visiting the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
The school, which provides education to students from pre-KG to Class 10, reportedly has a strict no-entry policy in place for students who flout its uniform rules. However, on the request of the parents of the students, the management had subsequently stated that they can enter the school if they put on their school uniform over the Ayyappa Deeksha garb, before asking them to go on leave if this was not possible.
Angered by this, the parents approached the officials of the Mandal Education Department and reported the issue, following which Mandal Education Officer (MEO) G Nagabhushanam visited the school on Tuesday and instructed the principal to allow the students in class. The MEO also reportedly directed the students to remove their uniforms and just wear the Ayyappa Deeksha clothes.
After the news came to light, members of Hindu religious organisations such as the Samarasimha Seva Foundation and the Hindu Dharmika Sangham also visited the school and held discussions with the school management. The incident comes amid nationwide debates on whether or not religious clothings such as hijabs should be allowed in educational institutions, with the Karnataka High Court in March this year even upholding the ban on hijabs in educational institutions in Karnataka.