Student asked to read kalma as homework at Hyderabad school, parents seek action

A Hyderabad family has accused a private school of assigning Islamic prayers to their Class 2 child as homework. The allegation has sparked demands for an education inquiry and action against the management.

In Short

• Family found Kalma and Fatiha instructions in the child's homework diary
• One of child's relatives said a similar entry had earlier been struck off
• She alleged the principal first called the recitation mandatory for students

A controversy has erupted at a private school in Hyderabad after the parents of a Class 2 Hindu student alleged that their six-year-old child was instructed to recite Islamic prayers as part of his homework, prompting demands for action against the school management.

The incident allegedly took place at Success School in Hyderabad's Saidabad area. According to the family, the student's homework diary contained instructions asking the child to "Read Kalma 1 and 2" [declarations of faith in Islam] and "Read Fatiha" [first chapter of the Quran]. After noticing the entries, the parents approached the school and questioned the management.

The family has demanded strict action against the school, alleging that the child was asked to perform a religious exercise despite belonging to a different faith. They have also sought an inquiry by the Education Department to determine whether similar instructions were issued to other students.

A relative of the student said she discovered the homework while checking the child's diary after bringing him home from school.

"I had gone to pick up my nephew, who is six years old and studying in Class 2, from school. When he came home, he showed me his diary for homework. While checking it, I noticed instructions saying 'Read Kalma 1 and 2' and 'Read Fatiha.' I was shocked. Why are such religious practices being assigned to a six-year-old child? A school's responsibility is to provide quality education, not religious instruction," she said.

She alleged that a similar instruction had appeared in the diary earlier but had been struck off, which she initially ignored.

"If this had happened once by mistake, we might have ignored it. In fact, I found that 'Read Kalma 1 and 2' had already been written once before and later struck off. I overlooked it then. But today, the same thing was written again, along with an instruction to read Fatiha," she said.

According to the relative, when she confronted the school principal, she was initially told that the recitation was a religious practice and mandatory for all students. She claimed that the explanation later changed, with the teacher reportedly describing it as an error.

"I went to the school and questioned the principal. Initially, she told me that it was a religious practice and that it was mandatory for all students. That amounts to forcing children to follow a particular religious practice. Later, the teacher who had written it claimed it was a mistake. How can the explanation change like that? Personally, I feel this was done deliberately," she alleged.

She further claimed that a review of the diary revealed another similar entry that had been struck off earlier and expressed concern that other students may also have received such assignments.

"After that, I checked the entire diary and found another similar entry that had been struck off earlier. I don't know how many other children's diaries contain such instructions. If this is part of an optional subject, then only those students who have chosen that subject should receive those assignments in separate diaries. My nephew's name, Liansh Krishna, is clearly written in this diary," she said.

Calling for an official investigation, the relative urged the Education Department to examine the school's practices.

"This issue should be investigated by the Education Department and the concerned authorities. Success School has several branches and associated institutions. We have no idea how many children are being given similar instructions. I reacted only because I happened to check the diary. If I hadn't, I would never have known about it," she said.

"I will definitely raise this issue with the concerned educational authorities because this is completely unacceptable. Some parents may assume it is just another subject and ask their children to do it without questioning it. But when these practices are not part of a child's own faith or life, why should they be taught? This is a form of indirect brainwashing and an attempt to influence children," she added.

The school management has not publicly responded to the allegations.

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