To: All Regional Directors and Division Superintendents

1. Pursuant to the request of religious authorities for appropriate dress attire in keeping with religious beliefs, pupils attending public elementary and secondary schools may be permitted to adopt a voluntary dress code more in keeping with their religious beliefs.
2. This policy will be tried out on an experimental basis in Basilan Division in Region IX, where female pupils of the Islamic faith will be permitted to deviate from the usual public school uni¬form by way of wearing a white shawl or headdress (“hijab” or “tarha”) and/or long-sleeved blouses and/or long trousers, provided that the required blouse-and-skirt school colors and materials for the specific school are observed. Similarly, during physical education periods, female pupils of the Islamic faith will be permitted to wear long-sleeved shirts and long trousers instead of the usual PK shorts, if they so prefer, again provided that the school colors and materials are maintained.
3. These deviations will be permitted on a purely voluntary and optional basis on the part of the pupils.
4. These modifications in the school uniform will take place as soon as the DECS Region IX Office has determined the precise acceptable garb in keeping with the above conditions and in consulta¬tion with the DECS Basilan Division authorities.

Reference: None
Allotment: l-2–(M.O. 1-87)

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:
PUPILS
RELIGION
RULES & REGULATIONS
SCHOOLS

DO_s1994_039