AJK education department makes hijab mandatory
It was revealed on Monday that the education department in Azad Jammu and Kashmir has made the hijab a requirement for female students and teachers in co-educational institutions.
On February 24, the AJK’s Directorate General of Elementary and Secondary Education (Males) issued a circular bearing the signature of a deputy director. They stated that in institutions where co-education is practiced, female students/teachers are not made to wear the hijab, and as a result, rigorous adherence to the guidelines requires them to wear the hijab.
The circular also stated that if the orders were disobeyed, disciplinary action would be taken against the heads of the concerned institutions.
For endorsement in accordance with the norms, the circular was transmitted to all three divisional directors and all ten district education officers on the male side. Between March 2 and March 4, these individuals forwarded the circular to the educational institutions under their control.
The AJK minister for basic and secondary education, Deevan Ali Khan Chughtai, confirmed the directive and went into more detail about why it was made.
He said: “We have done it exactly in observance of the injunctions of God and His Messenger (peace be upon him) […] The women have been ordained to wear veils and men have been ordained to lower their gaze.”
According to the minister, because the government was unable to open separate high schools and higher secondary schools for girls in some rural areas due to a lack of funding and the small number of female students, they would instead enrol in co-educational schools where they would study alongside boys.
“But, in response to parent complaints, we decided to enforce a dress code for instructors and hijab for female kids and teachers,” he continued.
The state will initially require teachers to wear gowns for identification, according to Chughtai. In the second stage, the authorities will also require them to wear uniforms.
Furthermore. he said this wasn’t a forced choice. After consulting with parents and teachers, they decided to do so instead. Everyone has accepted it because of our society’s obvious inclination towards religion.
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