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Melbourne Sikh denied school
admission because of patka
WSN Network
MELBOURNE:
A Sikh
couple living in Australia has challenged a Melbourne school's
decision not to enroll their son because his turban breaches the
school's uniform rules.
The family, who
cannot be named because of suppression order, filed a complaint with
the Anti-Discrimination Commission in Queensland state in February
last year saying the Brisbane private school Ormiston College had
refused to admit their 12-year-old son.
Headmaster Brett
Webster said the school had a strict uniform policy. On alleged
demands that the Sikh student cut his hair and remove his patka, he
said "the offer for admission was made with the usual school rules
in mind and so there was not a request from the school that the
family do anything in particular."
The family's
solicitor, Scott McDougall, said the boy's parents had lodged a
complaint with the Commission but no date had yet been set for a
hearing.
The boy was now
attending another private school where he was allowed to wear his
turban, he said.
McDougall said
he did not know of any similar case of a school student being
refused enrollment because of the dress requirements of his or her
religion. "I'm aware there was a Sikh student who attended the
school in previous years before the current headmaster.”
He was allowed
to wear a turban to school but that was under the previous
headmaster," the lawyer said. Queensland Anti-Discrimination
Commissioner Susan Booth said the case may be the first of its kind
in Australia although there had been some other similar cases
overseas.
27
February 2008
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