Burqa ban: PU department to verify, get report

BANGALORE: A day after St Aloysius Pre-University College in Mangalore remained firm on restricting girls from wearing burqa in classrooms and examination halls, the Department of PU Education has expressed willingness to intervene in the matter. Commissioner for PU Education Rashmi V, who professed ignorance to the episode, told Express that the department would look into it if “there was any truth in reports of the ban”. She said, “If there is any truth to it, I will seek a report from the Deputy Director of PU Education (DDPU) concerned and pursue it.”‘Colleges cannot have prospectus’When she was informed that the college had mentioned in its prospectus that “girls are not expected to wear burqa in classrooms and in examination halls”, she clarified that colleges cannot have prospectus even before the PU calendar of events was out. “In the first place, there is no question of having a prospectus. The prospectus can be made only after we issue a calendar of events, which is usually after the declaration of SSLC examination results,” said Rashmi, adding that PU calendar for 2012-13 would be out in May first or second week. ‘Ban Allright, Albeit Partially’Noted thinker and writer K Marulasiddappa, however, opined that it was alright if the college had restricted covering the face. “The burqa should not be seen from a religious angle. When a student’s face is    covered, there will be academic and administrative hiccups,” Marulasiddappa articulated.  “As far as I see, the college has placed a ban on covering of the face, and not a ban on the Islamic dress for women itself. If it is the latter, then I vehemently oppose it,” the litterateur  averred.