Parents protest Arabiyya teacher suspension

Parents of Arabiyya school have protested the Education Ministry’s decision to suspend a teacher of the school for supporting the India Out movement.

The teacher, Zamzam Farish was suspended on Thursday. A signed order from Ahmed Ali, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, said that Farish had violated civil service conduct by posting inflammatory tweets against President Ibraihm Mohamed Solih’s decree criminalizing the “India Out” movement and in support of the movement.

Tweets posted by Arabiyya Family, a twitter account of the parents’ union, said that the teacher was suspended for his personal views on the “India Out” movement.

Farish was suspended for a period of 30 days, without pay. The parents condemned the decision. The parents also note that Farish is a strong advocate of Arabic and Islamic education, and had been vocal against the Government’s actions to silence the school. This suspension, they said, was further evidence of the Governments strict actions against the school and Islamic education in the country.

Parents had called on the Government to reverse the decision and terminate the suspension with immediate effect.