Nearly 11 class X female students belonging to the Bhora community were allegedly prevented from appearing in the examination on Saturday as they were wearing a veil. The issue was later resolved.
They students were appearing for the introduction to computer (computer parichay) exam at the Shree JC Shah Prakash High School, Relief Road. All students belonged to Jamalee English Medium Schoolof Astodia. They were later allowed to appear for the exam after the intervention of the students' parents. Jafar Indorwala, uncle of one of the students who was asked to remove the veil, said, "Students are free to wear anything. There is no rule that bars a student from wearing a veil."
He said that some of the parents argued with the authorities who later allowed the girls to appear for the exam. "But they warned us that the reeda (a kind of veil worn by women of the Bohra community) will not be allowed from the next time onwards," said Indorwala. Sudhir Shah, managing trustee of Shree JC Shah Prakash Highschool, said that if the parents had a problem then why did they not bother to register a complaint with the district education officer. "The girls were wearing veils. So how will invigilators know if they are carrying some banned materials like chits?" asked Shah.
He said that eventually if one of these girls were caught copying, the supervisor will be accused of being negligent. "So as a precautionary measure we asked them to remove their veil and not their clothes. But after opposition from the parents, the girls were allowed to appear in the examination," Shah said. He said that Bohra girl students also study in his school but they remove their veil once they reach school.
Hasmukh Adhia, principal secretary state education department and chairman of Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) said he was not aware of the incident.
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