UDUPI: The opposition to Muslim girls wearing Hijab that began in Udupi had no impact on the smooth conducting of the SSLC examination on Monday.
The exams began across the district in 58 examination centers. Out of a total of 13,675 SSLC students enrolled in the Udupi district, 13,558 appeared for the exam. A total of 117 students were absent for the Kannada paper on Monday.
Muslim girls adhered to the High Court’s verdict that banned hijabs in schools. Their parents were seen motivating them to do well in the exams.
Udupi DC Kurma Rao visited the examination center at Government Board High School and later told reporters that confidence-building measures by the education department and some Muslim leaders' initiative to make students understand the importance of education and examination appears to have made a good impact as students came in good numbers for SSLC examination. The examination was held peacefully as there was no scope for confusion as far as wearing a hijab is concerned, DC said. ‘‘We made sure that the court order and the uniform rules were strictly followed by all students’’ he said.
At Government Board High School, Udupi students were seen arriving for the examination early by 9.15 am. Parents were helping their children to find their allotted examination room and the space through a notice that was stuck on the wall outside the center. A parent speaking to TNIE opined there was no room for confusion as the High Court verdict was clear and the government strictly said reexamination cannot be held if any students remained absent for the cause of hijab. ‘‘Wherever they wore hijab earlier before the controversy, those students were allowed at the examination centers too’’ he said. Chandravathi, mother of Keerthan and Keerthi- twin siblings who came from Adi Udupi to write the SSLC examination at Government Composite High School, Volakad told TNIE that she accompanied her children to the examination center as her children did not know where their examination center was located exactly. At Government High School, Udupi, of which the PU section’s six students first demanded to wear hijab, the examination was conducted peacefully.
Six impersonators held:
A report from Belgavi said that six persons including a girl were arrested on charges of impersonation during the SSLC exams at R D College examination centre, Chikkodi on the first day of the SSLC examinations on Monday.
The six were caught by members of the examination squad while checking the students' hall tickets. They were in the hall to write the exams replacing the actual students who were supposed to attend the examination.
Soon after the six were caught red-handed by the officials, they were handed over to the police.
They have been identified as Rahul Killiketar from Gokak taluk, Bhimshi Hulikund from Konkaniwadi, Karthik Kumbar from Bagalkot district, Siddu Jogi from Bagalkot district, Mahantesh Dollinavar from Girisagar, Savitha Hosur from Bagalkot district.