‘Keep it outside classroom’: tough lessons for hijab-wearing Hong Kong graduate seeking work as kindergarten teacher
- Saana Qalsoom, 24, says she was told in a job interview that the hijab should not be worn in the classroom
- University of Hong Kong graduate subsequently called schools to check whether they were open to hiring hijab-wearing teachers before agreeing to an interview
After graduating from Hong Kong’s oldest university and dreaming of becoming a kindergarten teacher, Saana Qalsoom did not expect her hijab to affect her job search.
Qalsoom, 24, said she decided to wear the head covering every day a few years ago as an expression of religious devotion, but was stunned when she was told by a principal during a job interview to take off her hijab if she wanted to get hired.
“She told me [the hijab] should not be worn in the classroom. People should, you know, keep this outside the classroom,” she said.
The face-to-face job interview with the kindergarten took place in August last year after Qalsoom graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a bachelor’s degree in applied child development.
She said the kindergarten told her that other employees with a Muslim background were willing to remove the hijab when they were at work.
Qalsoom, of Pakistani origin, said they tried to convince her to follow suit, with reasoning such as children would snatch her hijab.
