MUMBAI: Amid the ongoing Hijab row in Karnataka, Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday said that there should not be a place for any other dress other than the school uniform at the schools.
Speaking to the reporters here, Thackeray said, "Wherever there is a uniform at schools, there should not be a place for any other dress other than that. Schools and colleges are the Centres of education, only education should be imparted there."
The minister further stressed that there should not be a representation of any political, religious thing at the educational institutions. "No political, religious or any such thing should be brought at schools and colleges. Shiv Sena has only one role and that is to provide top class education facilities at schools," he said.
Meanwhile, Karnataka High Court's single bench of Justice Krishna Dixit referred petitions challenging the ban on hijab in colleges to a larger bench.
Following the hijab row in the state, the Karnataka government on Tuesday declared a three-day holiday in all the universities under the Department of Higher Education and colleges under the department of Collegiate and Technical Education (DCTE).
The three-day holiday starting from February 9 up to February 11 is applicable for government, aided, unaided degree colleges, diploma, and engineering colleges, Minister of Higher Education Dr CN Ashwatha Narayana stated.
Several protests have erupted in Karnataka after some students were allegedly denied entry to college wearing hijab, a headscarf worn by Muslim women earlier this month. The Hijab protests began on February 4 at the Government Girls PU college in Udupi district when some students alleged that they had been barred from attending classes.
The pre-University education board had released a circular stating that the students can only wear the uniform approved by the school administration and no other religious practices will be allowed in colleges.