Students and teachers wearing headscarves have reportedly been turned away from schools in Azerbaijan following changes to school dress-code rules, prompting protests, class boycotts and widespread criticism on social media.
Videos circulating online show schoolgirls crying after allegedly being denied entry, teachers comforting distressed pupils and students demanding the right to attend classes without removing their headscarves. Other footage appears to show teachers conducting lessons outdoors in solidarity with those affected.
The controversy centres on an amendment approved by Azerbaijan’s Cabinet of Ministers on September 21, which prohibits clothing that violates school uniform requirements or conflicts with the principle of secular education. Although the regulation does not explicitly mention the hijab, its reported enforcement has prompted concerns over restrictions on religious expression in schools.
Schoolgirls plead for their right to education
In one video, a young student expresses distress over being prevented from attending classes.
“I am a child. I want to study! I have that right too, but they are not letting me study!” she says.
Another recording shows a teacher comforting a student who says she was instructed to remove her headscarf.
“You have to take it off as though you are guilty?” the teacher asks before reassuring the girl: “Don’t cry. We are with you. Everything will be alright.”
Students who do not wear headscarves have also expressed solidarity with their classmates. In one video, a student says the opposition to the restrictions extends beyond those directly affected.
“Nobody accepts it,” she says.
Footage shared online also shows protesters vowing to continue challenging the restrictions.
“We will come to this school every day. If they throw us out through the door, we will come back through the window. We will not back down,” a protester says.
Local media have reported class boycotts at schools, with students refusing to attend lessons in solidarity with classmates who wear headscarves.
Student alleges she was locked in a room
A female student, speaking in a video circulated on social media, alleges that school staff confined her to a room after she was prevented from attending classes because she wore a headscarf.
“They locked me in a room because I was wearing a headscarf. They didn’t let me go out for recess,” she says.
The student further alleges that she was prevented from contacting her mother, who believed she was attending lessons as usual. According to her account, her mother eventually arrived at the school and left in tears after speaking to staff.
The student questioned why her religious clothing should be treated differently from other aspects of students’ appearance.
“My friends come to class wearing skirts that don’t even reach their knees. Why can’t I?” she asks.
In another video, a student challenges the decision to deny her entry, citing her academic performance.
“I scored 335 points. I don’t have a single B on my report card. Is this the respect I get?” she says.
She alleges that she was told to choose between removing her headscarf and staying away from school, questioning why she should have to give up her religious beliefs to continue her education.
Students bid emotional farewell to teacher
Another video circulating on Instagram shows Azerbaijani schoolchildren hugging their teacher in an emotional farewell as she reportedly leaves the school amid the headscarf restrictions.
The footage shows children gathering around the teacher, with some appearing visibly distressed as they embrace her.
Teacher questions whether headscarf conflicts with patriotism
The reported restrictions have also affected teachers who wear headscarves.
A woman identified in social media posts as the daughter of a Karabakh war veteran said she had been informed that she could not continue teaching without removing her headscarf.
“I love my homeland very much. I am loyal to my state. I want to ask something: How can a person’s headscarf obstruct their love for the homeland?” she said.
She added that she wanted to continue teaching without renouncing her faith.
“I want to be a beneficial teacher to the homeland, but I want to do this without renouncing my faith,” she said.
Her account has added to concerns that enforcement of the revised dress code could prevent teachers from working and students from attending classes.
Why has Azerbaijan introduced the restrictions?
According to the state-run Azerbaijani Press Agency (APA), the September 21 amendment to the Descriptions of Uniforms for Students of State General Education Institutions was intended to establish a common dress code consistent with the country’s secular principles.
The rules prohibit additional clothing that violates prescribed uniform requirements or contradicts the principle of secular education.
The APA has also reported that clothing reflecting Azerbaijan’s history, culture and national traditions may be permitted during celebrations, subject to approval by the relevant Pedagogical Council under the Ministry of Science and Education.
Authorities have presented the requirements as part of efforts to standardise school uniforms and maintain professional standards in educational institutions.
However, critics argue that applying these rules to headscarves restricts religious expression and risks denying students access to education.
Around 96 per cent of Azerbaijan’s population identifies as Muslim, according to previously published reports. The country’s Constitution defines it as a secular state while also guaranteeing freedom of conscience and the right to education.
37 people arrested amid protests
Media reports citing Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry said 37 people had been arrested in connection with disturbances linked to the enforcement of school uniform rules. Authorities reportedly alleged that some participants had confronted school staff, damaged educational facilities or disrupted public order.
Turkiye reacts to Azerbaijan’s headscarf restrictions
The controversy has also drawn criticism in neighbouring Turkiye, where restrictions on women wearing headscarves in educational institutions and public-sector jobs were a major issue during the period surrounding the 1997 military-led intervention, known as the ‘post-modern coup’.
Former Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu addressed Azerbaijan directly, urging its authorities to allow women to choose their clothing and criticising the division of women according to whether they cover their heads.
“Headscarf incidents are happening and we’re watching. We experienced this pain ourselves. This pain must end now,” he said.
Referring to Turkiye’s own experience, Kılıçdaroğlu acknowledged that the country had also borne responsibility for the restrictions imposed during that period.
“Free the women, let them choose the clothes they want,” he said.
His remarks have brought Turkiye’s historical debate over headscarves into the discussion surrounding Azerbaijan’s revised school dress code. Although the two countries have distinct political and legal histories, the developments have renewed debate over religious expression and secularism across the region.
