SINGAPORE, Jan 28: Four Muslim Singaporean schoolgirls will face suspension if they continue to wear headscarves to class in defiance of a government ban, education officials said on Monday.

The case of the students, all in their first year of primary school, has become a major issue in multi-ethnic Singapore, which imposes a strict uniform code to promote racial integration in its schools. Muslim girls are allowed to don the scarves, known as tudung, once they step out of school.

The education ministry said three girls and their parents have been given until Friday to comply with the rules after weeks of counselling since the students turned up wearing the scarves when the school term opened on Jan 3.

A fourth girl who began wearing the tudung in the second week of January is also undergoing counselling with her parents. The girls, who are aged around seven, will be barred from the public school system if they refuse to abide by the regulations.

The ministry said ample time had been given to the families to make a decision on whether they want to abide by the regulations.

“Such counselling has continued for a reasonable period, to allow the students and their parents to make a considered decision,” the education ministry said in a statement.

“After that, the schools will take the necessary action in accordance with school rules, which may include suspension of the students,” it said.

The suspension, if enforced, will be lifted once the students decide to observe the government’s school uniform code, the ministry said.

Officials have been concerned about racial harmony since the Sept 11 attacks.

Singapore’s population is composed of 77 percent ethnic Chinese, 7.7 percent Indians, and 14 percent Malays, most of whom follow Islam. The rest are Eurasians and other minorities.

“If one group is allowed to modify the prescribed school uniform, other groups will argue for similar consideration for their religious and customary practices,” the education ministry said.

“Over time, we will inadvertently introduce into our national schools, practices which accentuate differences of students of the different communities. This will have an adverse impact on social cohesion,” it said.—AFP