CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: CNN Central News and Network – ITDC India Epress / ITDC News, Bhopal. Baku. A controversy has deepened in Muslim-majority Azerbaijan over a new dress code for government schools. Amid allegations that an indirect ban has been imposed on wearing the hijab in schools, students, teachers and social activists have protested. In some schools, girl students have boycotted classes. The issue has triggered a fresh debate on religious freedom, the right to education and the secular education system.
About 96 percent of Azerbaijan’s population is Muslim. Even so, the country’s constitution declares Azerbaijan a secular nation. The constitution also guarantees religious freedom. Against this backdrop, questions are being raised over the new rules applied to the hijab in government schools.
According to reports, Azerbaijan’s government amended rules related to uniforms in government schools and teachers’ attire on September 21, 2026. The government says the aim of these rules is to enforce a uniform dress code in schools and maintain the secular character of the education system. Instead of explicitly banning the hijab, the rules provide for restrictions on clothes and additional attire considered contrary to the prescribed uniform or the principles of secular education. However, after the rules were implemented in some schools, reports emerged that students and teachers wearing the hijab were denied entry.
Girl students boycotted classes in protest against the new rules in at least two schools in Azerbaijan. According to local media reports, students registered their protest at School No. 69 in Baku and at a secondary school in the Masalli district. They said students should not be deprived of education for wearing the hijab.
Videos that surfaced on social media showed some students and teachers becoming emotional after being denied entry to school. After the development, debate over religious freedom and the equal right to education has intensified.
One side in the debate argues that it is necessary to enforce a common uniform in schools and keep the education system secular. Those opposing the move say that barring hijab-wearing students from entering school could affect their religious rights and educational opportunities.
Amid the controversy, questions are also being raised over the extent to which rules framed to maintain discipline and a uniform dress code in schools should be enforced. The difference between the interpretation of the rules and their actual implementation has also complicated the situation.
Pressure has increased on the government’s decision as opposition to the new dress code has moved beyond school campuses and become a matter of public discussion. Students, parents and social activists are demanding that the education of girls wearing the hijab should not be affected. The government, meanwhile, is linking the rules to secular education and a system of common uniforms.
For now, the resolution of the controversy will depend on how authorities implement the new rules and what steps they take on questions linked to religious freedom and the right to education. In Azerbaijan, the issue is no longer limited to school uniforms; it has become part of a wider debate over the balance between secular governance and individual religious expression.
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