Teacher's suspension sparks protests at Viqarunnisa School

The students of the Viqarunnisa Noon School and College Bashundhara branch have staged protests after a teacher was suspended over allegations of preventing students from wearing a Hijab or a headscarf.

Students demanded the reinstatement of teacher Fazilatun Nahar, a fair investigation into the incident, and punishment for those spreading misinformation.

The protests began on Wednesday morning with the boycotting of classes. Later, around 11:30am, the protesters marched around the roads surrounding the campus.

According to a notice signed on Tuesday by Acting Principal Mazeda Begum, the decision was based on a recommendation from the school’s ad hoc committee.

The ad hoc committee notice added that the teacher must submit a written explanation within seven working days, though the suspension was not a permanent dismissal.

Nahar has rejected the accusations as “false and fabricated.”

She said: "I did not do this. In that class, 22 students do not wear a Hijab – about nine to 11 of them do. I told them to wear the Hijab properly when coming to school.”

She added that she had explained the rules on how the Hijab should be worn.

Nahar has worked at the Bashundhara branch for one-and-a-half decades.

Claiming that no show cause notice was served before she was suspended, Nahar said, "I will take legal action."

"She has been temporarily suspended following the allegations. We are conducting an investigation," Acting Principal Majeda said on Wednesday.

"We believe that the investigation will reveal the truth. We will make a final decision accordingly."