Earlier this week, the media was abundant with reports about an incident that occurred at Eben Donges High School in Kraaifontien when teachers at the school asked two siblings to remove their headscarf and fez a week ago. They have since been allowed to wear their religious attire. 

The Western Cape Education Department said on Thursday that it is pleased the situation involving the religious headgear of two Muslim learners was resolved. 

The two learners are siblings and are in grade 11 and grade 9. They have returned to school after one of them had refused to remove the attire, resulting in their parents being called and told the attire was not part of their school uniform. The pupils missed a week of school as a result. 

Western Cape Education Department spokesman, Paddy Atwell, said schools must follow the national guidelines and that learners must not be discriminated against: 

In terms of the constitution, as noted in the guidelines, schools should not prohibit attire such as yarmulkes and headscarves if they form part of religious practice or obligation. We’ve urged schools to follow the national guidelines on school uniforms. According to the guidelines, schools should take religious adversity into account.

[Source: EWN]