The Latin Catholic Church-run school, affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), had closed for two days following a controversy over a 13-year-old girl wearing a hijab.
Published Oct 15, 2025 | 2:25 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 15, 2025 | 2:27 PM
At the centre of the controversy is a 13-year-old student, who wore a hijab to school.
Synopsis: A 13-year-old girl wearing the hijab to a church-run school forced the institute to declare holidays for two days. The school will reopen on Wednesday under police protection. The school said that the student should adhere to the dress code. General Education Minister V Sivankutty said the school uniform applied to all students, but added that the management must handle such issues with greater sensitivity. The issue has gained a communal hue with the involvement of outsiders.
St. Rita’s Public School at Palluruthy in Kochi reopened on Wednesday, 15 October, under police protection.
The Latin Catholic Church-run school, affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), had closed for two days following a controversy over a 13-year-old girl wearing a hijab.
The school had objected to the Class 8 student wearing the hijab, saying she was bound to adhere to the rules that mandated the uniform, a pair of pants and a shirt.
However, when the school, as well as the Parent-Teachers’ Association (PTA), objected to wearing hijab, outsiders intervened, giving a communal hue and posing a law and order threat.
The controversy over the student covering her head soon saw the school shut its shutters, albeit temporarily. The issue has also caused a divide with habit-wearing nuns, the PTA, and the school’s supporters at one side, and the girl’s parents and those who backed the hijab at the other.
As tempers flared, the school management was forced to shut the school for two days — October 13 and 14 — hoping calm would return.
The controversy seemed to have ended on Tuesday, 14 October, with Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, DCC president Mohammed Shiyas, and education department officials holding talks with the school authorities and the student’s father.
The father said he chose to comply with the school’s rules to prevent the matter from being misused by external groups.
Eden said the decision upholds secular values and warned that legal action would be taken against those trying to communalise the issue on social media.
The education department stated that since the complaint was withdrawn, no further proceedings may be needed.
Later developments indicated that the issues have not been resolved. General Education Minister V Sivankutty’s apparant flip-flop on the issue is keeping it alive and burning.
Sivankutty’s latest stand is that if the issue has been resolved, it should end there at the school level itself.
“If there’s an agreement, let it end there. No one should be denied education,” he said, adding that the parent involved had withdrawn his objection.
Beneath all the noise lies a question: What really triggered this storm?
At the outset, there seems to more players, most remaining behind the scenes.
On 7 October, the student, who had been adhering to the school’s prescribed uniform for the past four months, arrived wearing a hijab, a headscarf that covers the hair, neck, and ears. The school authorities objected, stating that the attire violated the uniform policy.
Tensions deepened when the student came back on 10 October, again sporting the hijab.
The child’s father (name withheld to protect the student’s identity) was visibly frustrated while talking to South First.
”For four months, my daughter attended school wearing a simple scarf, and it was never an issue. But the moment she pinned it like a hijab, everything changed. My wife went to the school several times to resolve this issue,” he said.
The man said the PTA members were rude when he went to meet the principal. “It was as if we had done something wrong. We are not against the uniform or the school’s rules. My daughter’s hijab is the same colour as her uniform — all we ask for is respect for her faith. Is that too much?, he asked.
“How can they isolate and humiliate a child for practising her belief?” he further questioned.
The girl’s father, meanwhile, said his daughter had been facing humiliation since the start of the academic year and was repeatedly forced to remove her headscarf. He claimed the management told him to take her Transfer Certificate if he disagreed with the school rules.
“I am not asking for a burkha, only a headscarf along with the uniform. My child’s fundamental rights are being denied,” he said, adding that he approached the chief minister and education department officials after repeated complaints were ignored.
”We have a prescribed uniform in our school, and everyone is expected to follow it. This rule was clearly communicated to all parents during admission,” the school’s principal, Sister Heleena Alby, said.
The student strictly followed the dress code for nearly four months. ”Then one day, she came wearing a hijab, which goes against the prescribed uniform. We gently asked her to remove it, and she agreed. The next day, her mother came to school, and we explained that all students must maintain uniformity,” the principal recalled.
However, the situation spiralled when the girl’s father arrived, accompanied by several others.
”On 10 October, she came again without the prescribed uniform. We called the parents, but her father came with outsiders, started shouting, abusing, and even went live on social media while the classes were in session,” the principal.
A source in the school management told South First that the situation escalated after political and religious elements entered the scene.
”It was when outsiders — especially members of the SDPI, who wield strong influence in Ernakulam — came to the campus that things turned serious,” the source said.
The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), however, denied causing trouble. It said it tried for a consensus to settle the issue.
Ashraf K Hameed, president of SDPI’s Tripunithura unit, clarified that the hate being spread by the Christian Association and Alliance for Social Action (CASA) and other Sangh Parivar outfits on social media is baseless.
“SDPI representatives met with the school management along with the child’s parents,” he said in a media statement.
The management source further said that after the school had barred the student from attending class for violating the dress code, several religious organisations intervened and pressured the management.
”This led to unrest, many students and teachers took leave, forcing us to close the school temporarily,” the insider added.
The management later alleged that the girl’s father, along with others, verbally abused teachers and tried to provoke other Muslim parents to send their children wearing headscarves — an attempt the school fears could inflame communal sentiments.
The institution approached the Kerala High Court seeking police protection, citing threats and growing tension within the campus. Its request was granted.
The school has now issued a circular to all parents, explaining that the shutdown was necessary to prevent further disturbance and ensure the safety of students and staff.
Within hours of the school’s closure, the state education department launched a probe into a complaint filed by the girl’s parent.
The complaint said that the girl was stopped from entering the classroom and was made to stand outside after she had refused to remove her headscarf.
Education Minister Sivankutty initially said that no dress that concealed the school uniform would be permitted in classrooms.
”The school uniform applies to all students. However, school managements must handle such issues with greater sensitivity. The matter should not be allowed to escalate further,” he added.
A team led by the Ernakulam District Education Officer (DEO) visited the school on Monday, 13 October, evening and recorded statements from the principal and staff. Deputy Director of Education (DDE) Subin Paul told the media that the department had instructed the school to allow the student to attend classes wearing the hijab.
”As per the law, the student has the right to wear a headscarf. The school’s argument against it is invalid. If they fail to comply, we will consider revoking their No Objection Certificate (NOC),” he said.
Advocate Vimala Binu, who represented the school, told South First that the high court has issued an interim order directing the police to protect the school to ensure smooth functioning. The court also sought a report on the incident.
”The school will reopen tomorrow under police protection,” she added.
Many questioned how a nun wearing a habit could ask a student to remove her hijab. However, the advocate clarified that the school enforces a uniform policy to promote equality among students. As students come from diverse communities, backgrounds, and beliefs, a uniform ensures inclusivity and a secular environment.
Religious freedom is respected, but it should not conflict with broader interests. Families wishing to follow specific religious attire could opt for schools aligned with their faith; no minority can impose its practices on another, Binu said.
She also alleged that the education minister’s contradictory statements escalated the issue. Initially, he said no dress should obscure the uniform; later, he mentioned that schools should not compel students regarding uniforms.
The student involved had joined the school only at the beginning of the academic year and appeared in the first week.
”I believe the conflicting statements by the minister contributed to the unrest,” the advocate said.
The Kerala High Court had already clarified in a 2018 ruling that school authorities cannot permit full-sleeve shirts or head coverings, including hijabs, alongside the prescribed uniform. Justice A Muhamed Mustaque had observed that the smooth functioning of an educational institution takes precedence over individual preferences.
The court noted that while religious practices are personal rights, school managements hold equal authority to implement rules necessary for the orderly running of the institution, including establishing the dress code.
Students can continue their studies only if they adhere to these rules; otherwise, they are entitled to receive a transfer certificate.
Speaking to South First, Fr. Syriac Thundiyil, former Principal of Christ Nagar School, recalled a similar incident.
In June 2019, a Class 8 student was asked to obtain a transfer certificate because she insisted on wearing a headscarf to school in accordance with her religious beliefs.
The school maintained that all students must follow the prescribed uniform, which prohibited head coverings. The student’s father argued that wearing the hijab is a fundamental right under Article 25(1) of the Constitution. He claimed that the school had not disclosed the headscarf ban during the admission process.
“Subject to public order, morality and health and to the other provisions of this Part, all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion,” says Article 25 (1).
While disposing of the case filed by the two Muslim girl students of Christ Nagar Senior Secondary School at Thiruvallam in Thiruvananthapuram, the court reaffirmed that private schools cannot be compelled to allow students to modify the uniform for religious reasons.
Justice Mustaque’s order stated that while students have the fundamental right to dress according to their religious beliefs, the school management equally has the right to establish, manage, and administer an institution under Article 19 of the Constitution.
”When there is a conflict of interest, individual preference must yield to the larger interest,” the judgement said.
Fr. Jayan Xavier of the Varapuzha Latin Archdiocese told South First that uniforms are universal as they help students feel equal. In schools, he added, uniforms are necessary to promote equality among students.
On the question of religious practices, he noted that such matters depend on the management’s policy. Responding to criticism over nuns wearing habits, Fr. Xavier clarified that nuns are part of the management, not students.
”Even during religious prayers, no one is compelled to participate. It is up to each student to decide whether to join or not,” he said.
Meanwhile, St. Rita’s School has submitted a written report to the government stating that it did not deny education to the student in question. The school also claimed that the DDE’s report was inaccurate and insisted that all students are treated equally.
The management asserted that schools have the authority to decide their uniforms and criticised the Education Minister for commenting on the issue without verifying the facts.
Meanwhile, SDPI state president CPI Latheef stated that the minister’s remarks should be regarded as the stance of the state government. He emphasised that the right to practice one’s religion is guaranteed by the Constitution and must be upheld, and that schools should permit students to wear the hijab.
He also criticized Eden’s mediation efforts, calling them a mere show without taking a clear stance. Latheef added that all aided and unaided educational institutions in Kerala are responsible for ensuring Constitutional rights.
In July 2024, a group of Muslim girl students of Nirmala College in Muvattupuzha sought a space for them to perform namaz. When the college administration, run by the Catholic Church, denied the request, the situation escalated as other students got involved, allegedly gheraoing the then college principal, Father Kannadan Francis.
The controversy drew political attention, with the BJP attributing the students demand to extremist elements.
In 2023, a group of Muslim medical students in Kerala sought permission to wear long-sleeve scrub jackets and surgical hoods in operation theatres, citing religious requirements for modesty.
Seven female MBBS students from Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, requested alternatives to standard half-sleeve scrubs and head coverings that would align with both safety and religious norms.
The college principal, citing international sterile-procedure standards and patient safety, referred the matter to a committee of surgeons and infection-control experts. The request faced opposition from several medical bodies, including the KGMOA and the state chapter of the IMA, sparking debate over religious accommodation in professional education.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
