PNN – The Republic of Azerbaijan government’s insistence on banning the hijab in schools has led to widespread protests and strikes by students and teaching staff at several schools.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network citing the OC Media website, students at a number of schools in the Republic of Azerbaijan have refused to attend classes in protest against restrictions imposed on students who wear the hijab.
The Baku City Education Department has announced that it has begun monitoring the implementation of the new requirements in public schools.
These measures have drawn criticism from students and parents, who argue that the regulations restrict the right of girls who wear the hijab to receive an education. Under the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the state guarantees the right to free, compulsory general secondary education.
Closure of Two Schools and Dismissal of a Teacher Who Wears the Hijab
According to reports by Meydan TV and videos circulated on social media, students at School No. 69 in Baku and the B. Shiriyev Secondary School in the village of Mollaoba (Masally District) have refused to attend classes, demanding that their classmates who wear the hijab be allowed to return to school.
In a separate incident, according to a report by Meydan TV, a teacher wearing a hijab has been dismissed from the Richard Sorge Secondary School No. 90 in Baku. Footage released by the outlet shows weeping students embracing their teacher.
Imprisoned Journalist Goes on Hunger Strike in Support of the Hijab
Polad Aslanov, an imprisoned journalist, has also gone on a hunger strike to protest the changes to school uniform regulations approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan on September 21.
The imprisoned manager of the “Khabarman” news outlet announced that he had begun a hunger strike on Thursday in protest against these restrictions.
His wife, Golmira Aslanova, announced the decision in a Facebook post, stating that Aslanov is being held at Penal Colony No. 15.
Aslanov stated that the aim of the hunger strike is to draw public attention to the exclusion of students who wear the hijab from schools and to the restrictions placed on teachers’ attire. He also noted that his own child’s right to education has been curtailed.
He said: I declare that I have begun a hunger strike to defend the rights of my own child and all students who wear the hijab and whose right to education has been restricted, as well as to defend the rights of all female teachers who wear the hijab and are forced to choose between their education and wearing the headscarf.