MUMBAI — On the first day of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations at Jaffrey English High School, several students were reportedly forced to remove their Hijabs before entering the examination hall, on Friday in Mumbai’s Jafry Nagar. The incident has stirred outrage among students and their families, who claim the measures caused unnecessary mental stress and discomfort.
According to eyewitness accounts, female students wearing burqas were initially stopped at the school gate and asked to remove their outer garments. One SSC student recounted her experience to the media, stating, “At the gate of the school, we were first asked to remove our burqas. When we objected, we were allowed to enter wearing them. However, later in a separate room, we were forced to remove our burqas and scarves before proceeding to the examination block. We were searched, and only then were we allowed to take the exam. After entering the block, we were also asked to remove our scarves from our ears. It was humiliating and stressful.”
Another student expressed frustration, saying, “We told the officials that we had been allowed to wear burqas during exams in the past, so why were we being forced to remove them now? They simply said, ‘There is nothing like that. You will have to remove your burqas and take the exam.’ This caused us a lot of mental stress, but we tried to stay focused and complete the paper.”
The school administration, however, defended the measures, citing security concerns. Sabarazvi, the principal and secretary of Jaffrey English High School, explained, “These complaints are baseless. Last year, a student was caught with headphones hidden under her scarf, which created a significant problem for the school. As a precautionary measure, we now ask students to remove their burqas and scarves temporarily for checking. After the inspection, they are allowed to wear them again during the exam.”
The incident has ignited a debate over the balance between security protocols and respect for religious and cultural practices. While the school maintains that the measures are necessary to prevent malpractice, students and their families argue that the process was handled insensitively, causing undue stress during a critical examination.
Community leaders have called for a review of the school’s procedures to ensure that such incidents do not recur. As one parent remarked, “Security is important, but it should not come at the cost of students’ dignity and mental well-being. There must be a better way to handle this.”
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net.
