JAKARTA - Head of the Public Relations Sub-Division of the DKI Jakarta Education Office, Taga Radja Gah, clarified the circulating issue regarding the alleged coercion of female students to wear the hijab on their uniforms at public schools in West Jakarta.
Taga emphasized that there are no public schools in Jakarta that require Muslim students to wear the hijab. Likewise for the two schools in West Jakarta in question.
"Yesterday (at two West Jakarta schools) it was not obligatory. We asked that there was no obligatory, let alone forced. This is an era of various religions in public schools, there are Christians, there are Hindus, there are Buddhists. Various religions," said Taga when contacted, Wednesday, August 3.
After the DKI Education Office received information from the teachers at the two schools, the condition was that the teacher only encouraged students to wear the hijab in special activities, namely reading verses from the Qur'an.
So, from this appeal, students need long-sleeved school uniforms and hijabs. However, Taga explained that the use of the hijab or not is the right of each student.
"At the school there is an activity to read the Koran, it is better to use the hijab. However, there is no coercion or obligation to all Muslim women or students who are Muslim to use the hijab," said Taga.
"For example, a religious teacher in school, when there is material on the Koran, material for prayer, it covers the aurat. Actually, it is the teacher's obligation at school to convey 'Islamic teachings like this are the material'. But, back again to the students," he continued.
For information, the alleged coercion of female students to wear hijab was raised by a member of the DKI Jakarta DPRD from the PDIP faction, Ima Mahdiah.
In her Instagram account, Ima told me that there were parents of students at one elementary school and one public junior high school in West Jakarta claiming that they could not afford the necessity of buying additional Muslim uniforms and hijabs for their children.
Two schools in West Jakarta are suspected of forcing their students to wear the hijab. Both are Elementary Schools (SD) and Junior High Schools (SMP).
"Meeting elementary school children who can't afford school uniforms, I asked why public elementary schools have long clothes. I thought it was only Fridays. It turned out that her mother said, 'You are required to wear long clothes at school'," wrote Ima in the ima.mahdiah account, some time ago.
"I met a state junior high school student who was not ready to wear the hijab, but the teacher was forced to say verbally that those who did not wear the hijab were only non-Muslims. Even though this is a public school," he added.
In fact, Ima continued, some parents had to buy uniforms again, because the uniforms purchased previously did not match.
"There are even those who have bought regular uniforms and have been told to replace them and eventually buy them again, subject to additional fees," he said.
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