Pak decision to make hijab compulsory for female students: Report

The country has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children, with 22.8 million youngsters aged 5 to 16.

According to a study, the government’s decision to make hijab a mandatory element of the uniform for female students and instructors in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir demonstrates skewed priorities in Pakistan, where the ground condition defies official literacy levels.

The directive issued by the PoK’s education department on March 6 primarily targets co-education schools in remote regions where girls’ and women’s instructors are integrated with male schools because their numbers and school facilities do not meet the standards. All female pupils and teachers are affected by the decision.

Deevan Ali Khan Chughtai, the PoK’s Minister for elementary and secondary education, said, “We have done it exactly in observance of the injunctions of God and His Messenger (peace be upon him) […] The women have been ordained to wear veils and men have been ordained to lower their gaze,” a report said.

According to Abdul Rahman Shahbeer’s research, the country has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children, with 22.8 million youngsters aged 5 to 16. The numbers indicate 44% of children are not attending school, implying that there are two types of out-of-school children.

According to Abdul Rahman Shahbeer, Pakistan is the fifth most populated country in the world and the third most populous country in Asia. Nonetheless, Pakistan identified itself as a developing state on the global map. According to Abdul Rahman Shahbeer, Pakistan has been lagging behind in every development field, including education, health, industrial reforms, poor economic growth, and widespread poverty.

Shabeer stated that there are a large number of out-of-school children in Pakistan, but the Pakistani government seems unconcerned about the worrying situation. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led administration declared Hijab compulsory for female students and lecturers at co-educational institutions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir last week.

The PoK administration has issued a notification to that effect, according to Samaa. According to a Samaa news source, action would be taken against the institution’s leader for violating the directives.