Azhar Mashwani refutes reports of adding dupattas, caps to school uniforms in Punjab

• Azhar Mashwani clarifies Murad Raas's statement about revising school uniforms.
• Says directives for adding caps and headscarves in uniforms were only for periods reserved for Quran recitation.
• Says students will be required to wear caps and dupattas only while reading Quran.

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister's Focal Person on Digital Media Azhar Mashwani has refuted reports of the provincial government making caps and headscarves mandatory for schoolchildren in the province.

Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas had announced earlier in the day that the Punjab Assembly has passed an act, "the Punjab Compulsory Teaching of Holy Quran Act, 2021," to teach Nazra Quran (recitation) to primary students and recitation with translation to the students from 6th to 12th grades for the first time in history.  

For this, the minister said that private schools' uniforms should be revised.

Read more: Murad Raas wants Punjab’s private schools to add dupattas, caps to school uniform

However, Punjab CM's focal person clarified Raas's statement, saying that the directive for adding caps and headscarves to the uniforms was only for the periods reserved for Quran recitation, and not a permanent and mandatory part of the uniforms.

Taking to Twitter, Mashwani said that the students will be required to wear caps and dupattas while reading the Quran but they will not have to cover their heads during any other period.

Raas, while addressing the press conference, said that the act for compulsory Quran teaching will finally be implemented. He directed schools to provide male students with caps and female students with dupattas or scarves with their uniforms.

Raas further stated that there were more than 30,000 vacancies for teachers in Punjab schools, which would be filled soon.

He said that no decision has been taken for the closure of educational institutions in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The educational institutions will also remain open until other departments are not closed.