Jabalpur School Withdraws Order Shifting Weekly Off from Sunday to Friday Amid Backlash, May Face Action for Violating State Norms

The Anjuman Islamia English Medium School in Jabalpur recently caused a stir when it issued a notice shifting the weekly off from Sunday to Friday so that students can attend Friday prayers. 

After protests surrounding the decree became widespread, Jabalpur’s District Education Officer, Ghanshyam Soni, visited the school and announced that action would be taken against the school following an investigation.

The management of the school, on the other hand, has backtracked from the announcement. Annu Anwar, the president of Anjuman Islamia Waqf Board, under which the school operates, stated that they have withdrawn the order after the backlash, as they don’t want to continue with the change if parents are facing inconvenience due to the same. 

The ‘Tughlaki decree’ that led to the protests

Earlier today, an announcement from Anjuman Islamia English Medium School ran into controversy when the school sent a message to parents that the school would remain closed on Friday, instead of Sunday, to facilitate Friday prayers.

The move was largely criticised by the BJP Minority Morcha. Morcha General Secretary Muzammil Ali called the move a ‘‘Tughlaki decree’ and noted the 117-year-old school has never been open on a Sunday before. He claims the change was forced on students and parents without consulting them. He also argued that such a drastic change would disrupt the routines of many households as well as the traditions followed throughout the state of Madhya Pradesh. A letter, demanding action, was also sent to the collector in relation to the incident. 

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Management defends their action, citing poor attendance on Fridays

According to Anwar, only around 10-20 students attend the school on Friday out of a student strength of 700, due to the prayers. So the school management decided to change the weekly off from Friday to Saturday to ensure that students were not missing out on important classes. 

However, the school management has now decided not to go ahead with the change, as it has been clearly stated by the district officials that such a decision violates state education norms.