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MANILA, Philippines (CORRECTED/UPDATED)- The Department of Education has asked Muslim teachers teaching Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE) to remove their veils inside classrooms, in part to promote better relationships between teachers and pupils.
In a July 16, 2013 order, Education Secretary Armin Luistro specified that the veils referred to are those that cover the entire face.
“For Muslim Filipino women who are wearing the veil that covers the entire face (ustadja) and have been hired as ALIVE teachers, the following conditions are strongly suggested:
a.) Wearing such veil covering the entire face is allowed outside the classroom.
b.) Once the ustadja is in the classroom she is requested to remove the veil for the following reasons: for proper identification of the teachers by pupils, thus promoting better teacher-pupil relationship; and in support of effective language teaching, recognition and discrimination of letters and their sounds are enhanced. Lip formation significantly helps in the correct production of the letter sounds.”
(Editor’s note: The Agence France Presse, which first wrote this story, referred to veils and Muslim teachers in general terms. Rappler obtained a copy of the order, thus the clarification we are making here – that it refers to veils that cover the entire face and Muslim teachers who have been hired to teach ALIVE. We apologize for any misunderstanding the original story might have caused.)
Luistro said the move was part of reforms to make schools more sensitive to religion.
Muslim schoolgirls will still be allowed to wear the veil or “hijab” on campuses as well as “appropriate clothing” in gym class, according to Luistro’s department order.
Promoting relationships
The government’s Office of Muslim Affairs said it agreed with the education department’s measures, although it had not yet received a copy of the order.
Roque Morales, an adviser to the office, said that while he did not know how many Muslim Filipinas were working as teachers of ALIVE, the practice of wearing veils is widespread in the southern Philippines.
“You would almost see it everywhere,” he told AFP.
He said the office had so far not received any complaints from Muslim teachers.
The office said that Muslims make up about 15% of the Philippine population, mostly based in Mindanao which they consider their ancestral home. – with reports from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com
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