School's stance is wrong, no school will be allowed to violate rights of students, says Minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Education Minister V Sivankutty said that no school will be allowed to violate the rights of students in the state. Referring to the incident at St. Rita's School in Kochi, where a girl was not allowed to enter the class for wearing a hijab, the minister said the action was highly condemnable and against Kerala's educational values. He added that excluding a child from school goes against the educational progress the state has achieved. The government is viewing the issue very seriously, Sivankutty said in a press release.

"Education is the right of every child. No child should be denied that right because of their clothing or personal choices. The mental stress experienced by the student after being removed from class would have been very high. It was the wrong approach of the school that caused it. Such actions cannot be accepted in any way," the minister stated.

"Education is a shared responsibility of both the central and state governments, and schools in Kerala must function according to existing laws and regulations. No school management has the authority to make its own rules that infringe upon the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution," Sivankutty said.

He also emphasised that Kerala's education system is renowned for being inclusive and upholding secular values, and the government will not tolerate any action that contradicts those values.