Deputy Director of Public Instruction, Gadag district, GM Basavalingappa, said that seven teachers were suspended after the electronic media highlighted the incident at CS Patil Girls High School. Seven teachers were suspended in Gadag district of Karnataka for letting hijab-clad girls write the exam on Monday even as 22,063 absentees were recorded in the Class 10 state board exam on Wednesday.
Of the 8,68,206 students enrolled for the second language exam, 22,063 didn’t turn up on Wednesday. In the first language exam on Monday, the absentees’ number was 20,994.
Deputy Director of Public Instruction, Gadag district, GM Basavalingappa, said that seven teachers were suspended after the electronic media highlighted the incident at CS Patil Girls High School. “The invigilators allowed headscarf in violation of the government orders. After some TV channels reported the incident, we suspended the teachers for violating the order,” he said.
In Jevargi of Kalaburagi district, Sri Rama Sene filed a complaint against a Urdu teacher, Mohammed Ali, for allowing hijab at the examination centre. Ashok Bhajantri, Deputy Director of Public Instruction of Kalaburagi district, said, “A report has been filed by the Block Education Officer and I will look into it…”
A source in the Education Department said “they are being pressured by the media and right-wing groups to initiate action”. “These members of right-wing organisations enter schools on the pretext of distributing free masks and then make videos if they come across students in hijab. The Jevargi incident is one such example.”
Kalaburagi district reported the maximum number of absentees in the state. According to the data, of the 46,380 students enrolled, 2,401 remained absent on Wednesday.
Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board Director (exams) Gopalkrishna HN said there was no link in the absentees and hijab issue.
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