S.African school told to lift Muslim headgear ban

A South African school was told by education officials to allow two Muslim siblings to return to classes on Thursday after the pair were sent home for wearing religious headgear last week.

Sakeenah Dramat, 16, and her brother Bilaal, 13, missed several days of school after being asked to remove a headscarf and a traditional Islamic hat at a Cape Town high school.

“The issue came to a head last week when the school principal told the learners that they were not allowed to wear their Muslim headgear at school and sent them home,” said Western Cape education department spokesman Paddy Attwell.

South Africa’s school dress code guidelines stipulate that pupils cannot be prohibited from wearing religious attire according to the country’s constitution.

Officials held discussions with the parties and instructed the school principal verbally and in writing to allow the two students to return to class.

A meeting was then held on Thursday morning with the school and the parents where the education department, a local imam and the South African Human Rights Commission were present.

“The two learners are back at school and they are wearing their Muslim attire so the issue at this stage has been resolved,” Attwell told AFP.

The siblings’ mother Nabila Dramat told the Cape Times that her children had missed six days of school.