Source: News 4u

 

Bangladesh issued a strict directive asking authorities at schools and other seminaries not to force girl students to wear veils or bar them from participating in sports and cultural activities.

“No female student can be forced to wear religious clothing or ‘burqa’ (veil) in educational institutions or be barred from taking part in sports and cultural activities,” an education ministry spokesman told Indian media quoting the official circular.

He said the violation of the directives would be treated as “ill-conduct” on the part of the seminary authorities and they would have to face legal actions.

The education ministry circular came three days after the High Court issued an order asking the government to ensure that no women are forced to wear “burqas” or veils or any religious dress in educational institutions or offices.

A two-member bench comprising judges A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain issued the suo moto order after a lawyer drew its attention to a report that the principal of a government women’s college in northwestern Natore had asked his students to come to the college wearing veils.

The report said the Principal Mozammel Haque, who joined the college two months ago, stopped cultural activities and sports at the college and restricted the entrance of the women students who do not wear a burqa.

The court also ordered personal appearance of the principal of the college on 26th August to explain his actions and also asked the government to ensure that cultural activities and sports in the educational institutions are not restricted in any manner. The bench directed the government to take immediate actions against the principal for imposing restrictions on the students.

The order came four months after another bench of the High Court issued a similar ruling barring educational institutions from forcing their female teachers wearing veils or covering their heads against their will.

“It is their (women’s) personal choice if they wear veils or cover their heads,” the court comprising judges Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Syeda Afsar Jahan said in a ruling in April this year and asked the education ministry to ensure enforcement of the order.
The ruling came on a public interest litigation suit filed by a rights group months after an education official used abusive words for the dress of a school headmistress at a meeting at northwestern Kurigram.

Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country, but only a small number of women wear burqas or full veils. Many of them, however, wear headscarves.