Hijab versus higher education

I worked  as a college teacher  in a women’s college run by minority Muslim trust  for 30 years  In Chennai.  During my service in that college,  as a gender economist  I have seen a steady increase in the enrollment Muslim girls. I was too happy to serve them  and being an instrument to help them in their empowerment process .Quite a number of them wore hijab. They wore it on their free will . They used to say that,  they feel secure and protected when traveling in public vehicles with hijab. Though  this college  was  managed by a Muslim trust no one questioned  other Muslim girls who were not wearing  hijab . That means,  choice of  wearing an attire was left to individuals  freewill. I was only happy to observe during my service that, many middle class and poor  families who would not  have sent their daughters  otherwise to higher education institutes   were   sending their daughters by public transport confidently  to colleges and they all became degree holders and some entered in the job market too,  by acquiring additional job skills.  Other   colleges in Chennai also do not mind Muslims girls entering their institutes with hijab  . To me ,  this hijab  wearing habit resulted in the economic and social empowerment of the back ward Muslim women community . I feel sad  to notice what is happening in Karnataka . There ,the Muslim girls are forced to take a decision whether they would give up  hijab or  their higher education because of the recent high court verdict on this subject . It is going to reverse  the empowerment process of the Muslim girls . The judgment passed never looked at this problem from this angle.