Karnataka Waqf Board announced a major decision to establish women’s colleges across districts of the state. This initiative aims to reintegrate Muslim girls into the educational system after many were forced to drop out due to restrictions on wearing hijabs in schools and colleges.
While speaking at the programme in Haj Bhavan on Saturday, October 5, Karnataka minorities welfare and waqf minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan cited the need for such institutions given the recent trials of Muslim girls going for higher studies, especially after the hijab controversy.
“Muslim girls stayed away from college education following Hijab controversy. Therefore, the Waqf Board will be setting up women’s colleges to bring them back. The minorities welfare department will run these colleges,” the minister was quoted by Deccan Herald.
The initiative includes to establishment of pre-graduate colleges in all districts. The first 15 districts proposed are Bengaluru, Mysuru and other districts that include Bagalkote and Chitradurga.
Pertinently, the minister symbolically laid the foundation for 15 such colleges.
Hijab controversy
The Hijab controversy erupted when several female Muslim students were barred from attending classes for wearing hijabs which school administrators claimed was contrary to the school uniforms’ rules.
As Muslim students were not ready to abandon their hijab while citing religious freedom, Hindu students started counter-protests, demanding the right to wear saffron shawls in opposition. The situation escalated, prompting the Karnataka government to issue an order prohibiting religious attire in educational institutions. The Karnataka High Court has supported this ban and stated that wearing a hijab is not an essential practice in their religion which made the situation worse for students from the Muslim community.
Atleast 1,000 students dropped out
Subsequent reports indicated that at least 1,000 Muslim girls were forced to withdraw from pre-university colleges because of the hijab ban and the environment it created. Most of them reported humiliation and harassment that saw their representation in higher learning institutions reduce alarmingly. The People’s Union for Civil Liberties argued that these students were not only violating their right to education but were also surrounded by hostility and misinformation.
The initiative will focus on promoting education and providing accessible education specifically for Muslim girls, aiming to counter the hindrances. The Karnataka government has reportedly allocated Rs 47.76 crore for this project, with the initial aim to establish colleges on waqf properties in 15 districts.
