Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, May 13: The Karnataka state government has issued a significant order permitting students to wear religious and traditional attire, including the hijab and 'janivara' (sacred thread), in educational institutions. However saffron shawls will not be allowed. The new directive officially withdraws the controversial 2022 order regarding school uniforms.

Under the Karnataka Education Act, 1983, the new government order issued on May 13 states that students in government, aided, and private schools, as well as Pre-University (PU) colleges, are allowed to wear the sacred thread (janivara), shivadaara, rudraksha, turbans (peta), headscarves, or hijabs, along with their prescribed uniforms.

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The order specifies that these traditional and custom-based symbols must complement the uniform and should not replace, modify, or defeat the purpose of the prescribed dress code.

This significant move comes weeks after an incident during the Common Entrance Test (CET) on April 24 at a college in Koramangala, where authorities had asked students to remove their sacred threads before entering the examination hall, sparking a debate.

Addressing a press conference today, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa clarified the government's stance. He strictly instructed that no student should be denied entry to classrooms, examination halls, or academic activities for wearing these permitted symbols. Furthermore, he emphasized that no student can be forced to wear or remove such items.

With this, the Siddaramaiah-led government has officially rolled back the uniform mandate issued by the previous BJP government in 2022. The 2022 order was implemented in the wake of the massive hijab and saffron shawl row that originated in Udupi and quickly escalated across the state. The previous order had effectively barred students from wearing the hijab in classrooms, a restriction that has now been lifted.