Udupi calm as Muslim students honour High Court order

Udupi: Though the Hijab issue began in Udupi, the controversy had little effect on the smooth running of the SSLC examination on Monday, as students showed up in large numbers. Exams began peacefully in all 58 test centres around the district. In the Udupi district, 13,558 SSLC students registered for the exam, out of a total of 13,675 pupils.

On Monday, 117 students were absent from the Kannada paper. Muslim girls complied with the High Court's decision, and their parents were observed encouraging them. Udupi DC Kurma Rao paid a visit to the Government Board High School in Udupi's examination centre and later told reporters that the education department's confidence-building measures and some Muslim leaders' initiative to make students understand the importance of education and examination appear to have had a positive impact, as students showed up in large numbers for the SSLC examination. According to DC, the examination went smoothly because there was no room for doubt regarding the wearing of the hijab.

By 9.15 am, pupils at Government Board High School in Udupi arrived for the examination. Through a sign posted on the wall outside the centre, parents were assisting their children in finding their allotted examination room and space. A parent told reporters that there was no space for mistakes because the High Court decision was unambiguous, and the government explicitly said that no re-examinations would be placed if any kids stayed missing due to hijab. "Wherever they wore hijab before the scandal, those pupils were also allowed to take exams," he stated.