Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News, 2014-02-17

A row has broken out at the German International School Cape Town over a pupil’s right to wear an Islamic headscarf.

The school, private and bilingual, is based in Tamboerskloof and enrolls pupils from Grade 1 to Grade 12.The dress code of the School implicitly states that no headwear is to be worn in class.

The Muslim Judicial council (MJC) will be approaching the private school to intervene in the school's supposed headscarf ban.

MJC spokesperson Nabeweya Mallick said their aim is to inform the community of their rights as these kinds of incidences often happen in the workplace and most people are not educated on their rights with regards to religious attire.

She confirmed that the student is a grade 8 student and the family is of German origin, adding that they will be approaching the German Embassy to complain about the issue.

Mallick said if their attempts fail after talking to the school principal, they will seek legal recourse, but this would be the last resort.

The girl was granted temporary access as a guest pupil when her parents enrolled her at the school signing a code of conduct which stipulated that she could not wear any traditional headgear.

As a guest pupil she was not required to wear the school uniform.

She had been at the school since the beginning of the year and her guest access was prolonged twice to give her family time to find an alternative school.

During this time, deputy principal Cristoph Abt said she wore her scarf daily. Her access was terminated and the pupil left the school.

According to Abt, the pupil’s father had decided he could not ask his daughter to not wear her scarf and decided to secede his daughter from the school.
 
Abt said there will be an annual general meeting in May where all members of the board would discuss the matter adding that they are more than willing to accept the members’ decision and change their policy.

According to the Department of Basic Education’s national guidelines on school uniforms, a school’s dress code should take religious and cultural diversity into account.

The guidelines also say schools should not prohibit the wearing of particular attire if it was part of a religious practice.

Basic education department spokesman Panyaza Lesufi said aggrieved parents could approach the SA Human Rights Commission for assistance.

Lesufi said if it is a private school, the department will not interfere with the dress code.

However Lesufi did reiterate that even though it may be a private school, they should not operate outside the constitution of South Africa.

Lesufi said wearing such religious attire was a constitutional right.

The pupils of the German International School Cape Town donned headscarves during a civvies day in support of the Grade 8 pupil on Thursday.

(Twitter: @Faizie143)