My daughter has come of age. No, no… she isn’t going to be sacrificed or getting married or anything like that. She is five years old this year and that means it is time when we as parents begin the registration process for her to start standard one in primary school.

The most obvious step is to first scout the schools that are around the area we live in. There are two primary schools where we live and so my wife and I decided to pay them a visit. We wanted to a look at the school our little girl could be going to once she turns seven.

The first school we went to was a big one. Location-wise, it was perfect - only a five-minute drive from the house. We parked our car and walked up to the security guard house and said we were parents and wanted to meet with the principal.

The guard told us to sign in, handed us a pass and pointed us in the direction of the office. We headed straight to the second floor, exactly where the guard told us to go and according to the aptly-placed signs.

We approached the counter and the clerk who was sitting there.

“Assalamualaikum. Our daughter is five years old and we’re thinking of registering her in this school. Would it be possible for us to meet with the principal to have a chat?” I asked.

Before the clerk could answer, a teacher who was walking out of the office suddenly stopped and stared at us.

“This is a school! It is not a place for people to come and visit!” she said rather harshly...