Saidabad School Sacks Teacher, NHRC Issues Notice Over Islamic Homework Row

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued an official notice to the Telangana government following a complaint alleging that a private school in Saidabad, Hyderabad, made Islamic religious lessons and prayers compulsory homework for its students. The incident has sparked widespread public controversy and led to the termination of a schoolteacher.

The controversy centered around Success the Junior College, a private educational institution located in the Saidabad area of Hyderabad. According to the complaint submitted to the human rights body, the school administration allegedly assigned Islamic religious lessons and prayers as mandatory homework for all students, regardless of their individual faiths.

An NHRC bench, led by member Priyank Kanoongo, officially took cognisance of the matter on Friday. Following the review of the complaint, the commission demanded that the Telangana state authorities conduct a thorough investigation into the school's practices and submit a formal report on the findings.

The issue escalated rapidly on Thursday after photographs of a Class 2 Hindu student's official homework diary began circulating widely on social media platforms. The diary entry, dated July 11, clearly listed assignments under a subject titled "Deeniyath." The specific homework instructions directed the young student to "Read 1,2 Kalma" and "Read Surah Fateha."

These religious assignments were written in the diary alongside homework for standard academic subjects, which included Mathematics and Computer studies. The viral images of the diary pages sparked intense public debate and criticism online regarding the imposition of religious lessons on non-Muslim students.

Following the widespread social media backlash and the growing controversy, the school administration took disciplinary action. The institution terminated the employment of the teacher responsible for assigning the religious homework to the Class 2 student.

The Telangana state authorities are now expected to respond to the NHRC's notice and investigate the allegations of mandatory religious instruction at the Saidabad institution.