“Sri Lanka cracks down on Muslim women wearing Hijab during exams violating rules, results of 70 students withheld”, Opindia, June 30, 2024:

“The Examinations Department of Sri Lanka has taken a firm stance on upholding the examination rules leading to the withholding of Advanced Level (A/L) examination results of 70 students from Zahira College, Trincomalee. Notably, these students did not comply with the rules as mandated by the Education Department which states that both ears of the student must remain uncovered for the entire exam duration.

In a statement, the Commissioner General of Examinations, Amith Jayasundara, said that this rule was not arbitrarily imposed but was established after consultations with all the stakeholders including Muslim religious leaders. The rule was then passed by the Parliament.

Jayasundara said, “It is not enough to merely show the ears to the examiner when entering the exam hall as we cannot determine whether they will use a Bluetooth device afterwards. The rule is to leave both ears uncovered the entire time they are in the exam hall……”

Read the full article at Opindia.com