The controversy over wearing niqab in the town of Axum in Ethiopia’s Tigray region has heightened as Muslim Grade 12 students missed the deadline to register for the national examination.
School administrations in the town required the female students to remove their niqabs while entering into the school compounds.
Niqab is the full face veil worn by Muslim women in public.
Students have been taking to social media to complain that their schools had refused to allow them to complete their registration unless they removed the niqab, which they say violates their religious beliefs.
The students have been protesting the niqab ban, which they claim infringes on their constitutional rights to education and religious freedom.
The students said, “We cannot remove our niqabs to register for the national exam, as our religion forbids it. We would rather forgo our education than violate our religious obligation.”
The schools announced that in-person registration for regular Grade 12 students concluded last week.
However, he noted that online registration through schools officially ended at 4:00 p.m. on January 10, while registration for extension students is set to remain open until next Monday.
The students estimate that approximately 160 Muslim Grade 12 students in Axum were denied registration due to their refusal to remove their niqabs.
The Islamic Affairs Council in Tigray, previously last month said the ban disproportionately affects Grade 12 Muslim students.
The council later said that it had initiated legal action against the ban and criticised the Tigray Education Bureau for failing to take effective measures beyond issuing statements.
MG/as/APA