Videos circulating on social media show students protesting after classmates wearing the hijab were barred from entering school. The incidents were recorded at the B. Shiriyev school in Mollaoba village, Masalli district, and at school No. 69 in Baku.
Azerbaijan’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved dress requirements for teachers at state general-education schools, it was reported on October 6. The decision was adopted to implement a presidential decree issued following amendments to the Law on General Education.
Under the new rules, teachers’ clothing must reflect the secular nature of education and be simple and businesslike in style. Requirements for a uniform student dress code were set out separately in another Cabinet of Ministers decision.
Baku’s City Education Department said on October 9 that it had launched monitoring to check compliance with the uniform dress-code rules in schools. According to the department, school administrations are responsible for overseeing compliance, while uniform-related questions are discussed and resolved by Pedagogical Councils.
The Education Department said it is a parental responsibility to ensure children arrive at school in the prescribed uniform. The agency said the goal of the measures is to create a disciplined, orderly and equal learning environment in schools.
