BENGALURU: Holidays for all pre-university colleges, which were closed for three days earlier this week after the hijab controversy turned violent, have been extended till February 15. Primary and Secondary Education Minister BC Nagesh announced on Saturday that the decision was taken as the issue of uniforms for students of schools and PU colleges had led to unpleasant incidents.
A notification issued by his department stated that pre-university colleges, including government, subsidised and non-subsidised institutions, will be closed till February 15. However, Classes 9 and 10 will function normally starting from Monday, as ordered by the Karnataka High Court. The government had earlier stated that PU colleges too will reopen from Monday.
The government, meanwhile, denied that it is waiting for the final orders of the high court on hijab row petitions to reopen junior colleges and other higher educational institutions.Higher Education Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan said the high court on Friday passed the interim order, directing the government to reopen educational institutions. “The government, however, is waiting for a report from the Home Department as we should be prepared to handle the situation after reopening institutions,” he said.
Meanwhile, district authorities on Saturday held meetings with community leaders to ensure law and order is maintained and students return to school on Monday.Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had held a virtual conference with deputy commissioners, superintendents of police and chief executive officers of zilla panchayats on Friday evening and asked them to implement the High Court order in their respective jurisdictions.
Though it was a second Saturday and public holiday, district officers were busy with bandobast duties and preparations to reopen schools on Monday. The SPs and DCs held meetings with senior religious and community leaders and with school managements. The latter have been directed to engage with parents and students to assuage their fears and ensure smooth reopening of schools.
“The idea behind holding these meetings is to build confidence and keep channels of communication open,” said a source. At taluk level, similar meetings were held by tahsildars, deputy SPs and BEOs to liaise with school managements.
“So far, all religious and community leaders have assured us that they would abide by the High Court directive and allow their children to return to schools,” sources said. The police are also monitoring social media to prevent spread of fake news, they added.