Hijab Controversy - Educating Our Teenagers

Protests by students over the hijab should be handled sensitively. It would do everyone good to read the National Education Policy which says that the aim of education is to develop constitutional values

- Kamaljit Singh Garewal

THE hijab controversy is all of a sudden threatening to become a constitutional а question because the dishe hands of educationists and into the hands of activist lawyers. This is sad because the matter relates to school students whose education is the primary responsibility of their teachers. We must try and remain neutral in matters which concern the sensibilities of impressionable minds. Trying to legislate on the issue is not easy, but to adjudicate on rights needing protection can be fraught with unforeseen difficulties.

Parents send children to school to learn reading, writing and arithmetic. If this was not necessary for higher education, then parents may as well have kept them home. Higher education is necessary for school leavers if they want to find a job, to become gainfully employed, get married, raise a family and send children to school. This endless cycle goes on and on. And thus, the nation moves ahead by investing in education of its children.

When young boys and girls reach school, they have already learnt many things at home, but some of these they may have to unlearn. For instance, a schoolboy can no longer say that Emperor Akbar was the greatest king in the whole world, as learnt at home.

He shall learn about other kings of Akbar's dynasty and many more kings of other parts of India and the world belonging to different periods. In senior classes, he may be helped to critically examine historical facts from diverse sources to compare different kings on the basis of the lands they conquered, the reforms they introduced and the peace they achieved.