Hijab Ban at S. Sumatra Elementary School Draws Criticism
Jakarta. A state elementary school in South Sumatra is drawing criticism after it recently introduced a hijab ban, arguing that the Islamic veil makes the students appear "disorderly."
During the flag-raising ceremony on Independence Day, the school's principal Dahlia ordered female students to stop wearing veils and simply follow the standard uniform arrangement that does not include headscarves.
The school, located in Banyuasin district in northeastern South Sumatra, immediately received protests from parents who thought the rule was unnecessary. They argued that wearing the hijab in no way disrupts the learning process.
"My kid is used to wearing a hijab since kindergarten," Widya, a parent at the school, was quoted as saying by news portal Tempo.co.
Criticism also came from the head of the South Sumatra branch of the national education agency, Widodo, who said the decision to ban the veil on school premises violated a basic principle of education in Indonesia: tolerance of others and recognized religions.
Widodo said schools had the task of promoting tolerance instead of issuing baffling regulations that create conflict between school officials and parents.
"One task of our schools is to educate children to be themselves," Widodo said.
Indonesia is the largest Muslim-majority country in the world. Nearly 97 percent of South Sumatra residents identify as Muslims.
In late March, Lambung Mangkurat University, a state higher-education institution in South Kalimantan, drew the ire of the United Development Party (PPP), one of Indonesia's Islamic political parties, as administrators decided to ban female students from attending class in a niqab, a full face covering similar to a burqa, over difficulties in identifying the niqab-shrouded students.
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