Female students will no longer be allowed to wear the abaya in exam halls, the Saudi Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) announced.
ETEC, which is responsible for accrediting educational and training systems, along with the Ministry of Education, said that female students must wear school uniforms inside exam halls, which adhere to the kingdom’s public decency regulations.
Women wear an abaya or cloak in parts of the Muslim world including North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and most of the Middle East.
In 2018, Saudi Arabia also announced that the abaya would no longer be legally enforced.
The move was made by the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, as the country continues to see an expansion in women’s rights including a decision to allow women to attend mixed public sporting events and the right to drive cars from this summer.
“The laws are very clear and stipulated in the laws of sharia (Islamic law): that women wear decent, respectful clothing, like men,” Mohammad said in a 2018 interview with CBS television.
“This, however, does not particularly specify a black abaya or a black head cover. The decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear.”
