Hyderabad school fires teacher for asking students to recite Kalma

A teacher at a private school in Hyderabad's Charminar Zone was fired and permanently banned after asking a class, which included one Hindu student, to recite Islamic religious verses as part of their homework, sparking parental protests.

Teacher Fired Over Religious Homework

A private school in Hyderabad's Charminar Zone has terminated a primary teacher after she asked students to recite religious verses as homework. The school management ol terminated the services of the said teacher and permanently debarred her from future employment with the group.

In an official termination order dated July 15, the school management stated that her services as a 'Mother Teacher' at the Sayeedabad branch were being terminated with effect from July 16. "Further, you are informed that you are permanently disqualified from applying for employment in future in the Success Group of Education Institutions," the order, signed by the Principal, read.

Details of the Incident

Police and school officials stepped in after parents raised concerns, fearing communal tension. According to officials, the class had 25 students, 24 Muslim and 1 Hindu. The teacher asked the entire class to recite the Kalma and Surah Fatiha as part of daily home study.

The controversy unfolded on Wednesday evening when parents discovered the nature of the schoolwork assigned to the class. Upon reviewing the assignment, the parents of the Hindu student immediately approached both the school management and the local police station to lodge a formal protest against the imposition of religious coursework.

Police Take Control of Situation

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for the Charminar Zone, Khare Kiran Prabhakar, addressed the media regarding the sequence of events and the subsequent administrative action: "Yesterday, an incident came to our notice. In this school, one lady teacher wrote that everyone has to read Kalma as homework. Out of 25 students, all were Muslim students, but one Hindu student was there. It was a complete violation of the education policy as well as the school policy. The parents of the Hindu students came in the evening to the police station as well as to the school. The school management has taken action, and the MD of the school has given a statement, and the teacher has been terminated."

Following the incident, local groups gathered near the school premises to stage a protest. To ensure public safety and prevent any escalation of communal friction, law enforcement quickly secured the area. DCP Prabhakar confirmed that the situation was successfully brought under control without any outbreaks of violence: "Parents are satisfied that action has been taken in this case. Police are monitoring the situation. No one should spread any kind of Hindu-Muslim hatred or any kind of communalism. Please do not entertain any kind of rumours. The school management and parents are on the same side," the DCP stated.

Addressing the security measures deployed at the scene, the DCP added, "For the protest here, over 30 people are taken into preventive custody and the situation is peaceful. Parents have given a statement to the police as well that they do not have any complaints against the management. So we have not registered any kind of complaint regarding this issue. If any kind of further complaints come to us, we'll take the legal opinion based on that."

School Vows to Uphold Secular Guidelines

The school management has since reiterated its commitment to secular educational guidelines, assuring families that internal vetting processes will be tightened to ensure classroom assignments strictly adhere to the official national education framework. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)