Hijab Row: Should Religious Dress-Codes Come At The Cost Of Education?

There is no law that prohibits the use of headscarves in educational institutions, is what lawyers representing students who insist on wearing the hijab to educational institutes today argued in the Karnataka High Court. While the hearings continue, the key argument being made was that the hijab was mandatory as per the Quran, and that there is no authority which can say no to its use unless there is a law and order issue. Today though, there were several unfortunate scenes in the districts of Karnataka which have seen the hijab row. There were students who chose not to attend school if they were not allowed to wear the hijab. Elsewhere, there were videos of women having to remove their hijab under public glare before being allowed to enter schools and colleges and there was also a video of a little girl torn between what her father wanted - for her to keep wearing her hijab - and a school teacher who said rules were rules. These are all perspectives in what appears to have become a difficult debate. We just have one question, since education is fundamental, shouldn't everyone prioritise that and attend school even as we wait for the outcome of the court judgement?