Egypt bans niqab in schools

Egypt has issued a decree, preventing female students across schools from wearing a face veil, also known as the niqab.

The country’s ministry of education issued the regulation on a unified school uniform, emphasizing that the students must wear the same clothes. Colours of the uniform, however, will vary by school district.

Female students are not permitted to wear the niqab but are allowed to don the loosely-fitted garment, the hijab. 

France also banned abayas across state-run schools, in the form of a directive, issued ahead of the new academic year. Niqabs across public spaces have been prohibited in public space across the country for more than a decade now. 

Aside from the ban on niqab, the Egyptian education ministry has also prohibited the use of smartphones for students and teachers, both of whom will be permitted to carry basic mobile phones without cameras or apps while at schools. Furthermore, basic phones will also only be permitted for usage outside of instructional hours.