Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): The decision to declare Friday as a weekly off at the Anjuman Islamia Waqf Board school in Jabalpur was withdrawn after protests by BJP Minority Morcha on Saturday. The school administration has restored the decision to keep Sunday as a week-off.
Officials said that there is no provision for Friday as a weekly holiday and scheduling classes on Sunday, and if similar cases are found in other schools, their schedules will also be changed.
As soon as the order went viral, administration and education department officials reached Malviya Chowk’s Anjuman Islamia School, broke open the lock, and instructed the management to withdraw the Friday holiday order immediately.
The school has around 700 students, most of them Muslim. On Fridays, attendance usually drops as students go for Jumuah (Friday) prayers.
This issue, however, is not limited to one school. The Anjuman Islamia Board runs four schools and one college in Jabalpur, one school in Anand Nagar, two in Madan Mahal, and a college in Gohalpur.
All of them have reportedly been following the same rule, that is, Friday holiday and Sunday half-day, for several years.
The Friday leave was reportedly decided by Board President Annu Anwar along with school teachers.
However, BJP leader Mujjamil Ali accused the board of discrimination, saying that during Hindu festivals like Diwali and Dussehra, the school gives only one or two days off, while other schools give up to ten.
He also claimed that Hindu teachers don’t protest out of fear of losing their jobs.
Hindu leader T. Raja also reacted strongly, saying, “Orders like these are similar to Sharia law and will not be allowed in the country.”
The district administration has now ordered an inquiry into all Anjuman Islamia schools.
A copy of the order has now been withdrawn following the administration’s action.
