Christian School in Kerala Remains Closed for Two Days After Denying Entry to a Class 8 Student

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A Christian school in Kerala’s Ernakulam district is facing the brunt of furious activists after denying entry to a Class 8 student for wearing a hijab. A statement recently came from the school that the hijab violated its dress code, and hence, the girl was asked to remove it.

The school’s PTA President, Joshi Kaithavalappi, has also made a statement that the girl in hijab signaled a “planned attack on a Christian-managed educational institution.” Consequently, the school remained closed for two days. 

Protests Against Christian School's Dress Code


After the Christian school asked the girl to remove her hijab, the girl said, “This school is not allowing me to wear a hijab. They made me stand at the entrance (of the classroom) and told me to remove it. Teachers were rude, I won’t study here.”

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The school’s dress code restriction led to a fight with the girl's parents, and eventually, the Parent-Teacher Association had to intervene. Joshi Kaithavalappil believes that the girl’s parents were assisted by the Social Democratic Party of India. This party is regarded as pro-Islamic and is connected to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), an Islamic organization.

The PTA Chief further added that, “SDPI workers are behind it. Their party members came to enforce it... (and) They put more pressure on the school than the parents.” After facing verbal abuse from the girl’s parents and SDPI, the school staff approached the Kerala High Court to seek police protection.

Dispute Over Uniform vs. Religious Practice Resurfaces in Kerala


The girl’s father has stated that his daughter wore the hijab for four months without any issue and that her Hijab was not traditionally pinned; rather, it appeared merely as a shawl over the head.

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On the other hand, Sister Helena, in one of her statements, said that the girl wore the school dress code for four months without complaining, but suddenly decided to disobey it.

Amidst the whole controversy, Shone George from Bharatiya Janata Party has criticized the SDPI for causing disturbance in the school environment. He said, “This incident has damaged the secular fabric of our state. There is nothing wrong with a girl wearing a hijab.”

Furthermore, “117 Muslim girls study hear and all abide by the uniform rules. But, in this instance, the school actually shut down because of fear of the SDPI... this is the behaviour of the Islamic state. This cannot be allowed.”

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To sum up, the school in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, after being abused and threatened by the girl’s parents, has closed the school for two days and sought police protection from the High Court.