Provision:
Safeguards as to Educational Institutions in Respect of Religion
No person attending any educational institution shall be required to receive religious instruction, or take part in any religious ceremony, or attend religious worship if it relates to a religion other than their own.
Religious communities are allowed to establish and manage their own educational institutions.
No discrimination shall be made in granting aid to educational institutions on the basis of religion alone.
Meaning:
Article 22 ensures religious freedom within the education system by protecting students from being forced to participate in religious activities not aligned with their own beliefs. It also upholds the right of religious communities to run their own schools and ensures that government support to educational institutions is not based on religious affiliation.
This article affirms the right to both religious freedom and educational equality.
Application:
If a student belonging to a minority religion attends a public school, they cannot be compelled to take part in Islamic studies or attend Muslim prayers. Likewise, a Muslim student in a non-Muslim-run school cannot be forced to engage in non-Islamic religious practices.
A Christian or Sikh community may establish and manage their own educational institutions under this article, and these schools are entitled to the same government aid as other institutions, without discrimination based on religion.