Karnataka, India: Karnataka’s 2nd PUC results 2023 were released on April 21, 2023. Tabassum Shaik was among the highest scorers and placed first in the Arts Stream by receiving 593 points out of 600. Interestingly, she scored 100 in Hindi, Sociology, and Psychology. Talking to the media about her academic achievements, Tabassum said that she preferred to choose “education over hijab.”
She is a student of Nagarathnamma Meda Kasturiranga Setty Rashtreeya Vidyalaya in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Notably, in 2022, the Karnataka High Court upheld a government order banning religious attire like a ‘hijab or burqa’ in educational institutions and asked students to stick to the dress code. Many Muslim students had come to the streets to protest against the decision, wearing hijab and skull caps. As a result, clashes erupted in the state. Also, many of the students even boycotted appearing for exams after being urged to follow the court order. However, Tabassum Shaik decided to give priority to education over Hijab and burqa controversy. “I decided to give up the hijab (in college) and pursue my education. We will need to make some sacrifices for education,” reported The Indian Express quoting Shaikh as saying.
According to a media report, Tabassum attended all of her classes in a hijab till the court order was issued. However, after the court order, her parents asked her to stop wearing the hijab for her desire to further her studies.
Notably, the Hijab Row erupted in January 2022 when the Government PU College in Udupi allegedly barred girls wearing the hijab from entering the premises. Following this, the girls sat in protest outside the college over being denied entry and were supported by Islamist organisations like PFI.
After this, boys from several colleges in Udupi started attending classes wearing saffron scarves. This protest spread to other parts of the state as well leading to protests and agitations in several places in Karnataka. Owing to this, the Karnataka Government said that all students must adhere to the uniform and banned both hijab and saffron scarves till an expert committee decided on the issue. On February 5, 2022, the pre-University education board released a circular stating that the students could only wear the uniform approved by the school administration and no other religious attire would be allowed in college premises.
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