Sikh Pupil Excluded Over Bangle

[OhTwadi]

they say safety is an issue. ok fine, i can understand that. but if kara is a security issue then how can they allow watches

[Prem]

They allow pupils to wear two types of jewellery --- ear studs and watches. It is difficult to understand how the kara, which is very small and slim, could be any more obtrusive than a watch. The girl has said she will not wear it in sports and other lessons where it may be a health risk. This is hardly going to lead to a mass outbreak of religion. You would think the school would show ome common sense and proportion on individual cases.

Nevertheless, the gap remains --- kakkars are only mandatory for amritdhari Sikhs. There should be sensible compromise on both sides depending on the circumstances and context.

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

Email copied to the Sikh Federation (UK) and reproduced with the kind permission of the author

Dear Sirs

I find it odd that a school that purports to have values as those below came to a decision that will inevitably lead to confrontation where pragmatism may have avoided negative publicity and potential legal action that will drain your resources and adversely affect the integration of other cultures and faiths into British mainstream society. Indeed although I know nothing about Sarika Singh, I would guess that her family are very much British and perhaps Welsh, yet wish to practise their faith in a way that the Sikh community has done for centuries.

The Sikh community has one of the most outstanding records of any ethnic minority group in the UK of integration, and it is wrong for a dominant culture to insist on assimilation as well. The UK is only where it is today because it has a history of multi-cultural understanding and acceptance. The wearing of religious tokens is fundamentally an individual human right.

I looked at a list of the Governors, and I will do some research into their cultural awareness of other cultures, as it would appear that they are not necessarily a reflection of the Aberdare of today. I would also argue that the Welsh flag is a symbol that many in Wales regard with almost religious fervour. Indeed I bet you celebrate (as I do) St. David’s day, a Christian saint, in a country that has many faiths, and I would bet that many of the pupils, staff and parents, wear a daffodil, yet another ‘token’, that is worn with pride and even semi-religious overtones.

So I ask you!!

What care and respect have the governors shown Sarika?

How will this ban on her attending her school help her to realise her full academic and personal potential?

How does this ban encourage tolerance of other races, religions and values?

How does this ban enhance moral, spiritual and cultural values?

Have the governors shown Sarika their qualities of respect, courtesy and self-discipline?

Your Values??????????????

· The basis of all our dealings with each pupil is that the pupil will receive care and respect.

· We recognise and take account of the differences between individual children and encourage them to realise their full academic and personal potential.

· We want our curriculum to be broad and balanced and to cater for the continuous development of all children.

· At all times we will promote the essential skills of literacy and numeracy.

· We aim to encourage academic achievement.

· We will encourage a sense of enterprise and initiative so that pupils can adapt to changing patterns of employment in a modern, technological society.

· The education our pupils receive will encourage the tolerance of other races, religions and ways of life.

· Our curriculum programmes enhance physical fitness, and develop moral, spiritual and cultural values.

· We encourage the qualities of courtesy, respect and self-discipline in our pupils.

· We encourage our pupil to be responsible partners in their own education.

· We involve and consult with parents on a regular basis.

· We foster close co-operation with the community and develop an understanding of environmental awareness.

· We provide our pupils with a variety of opportunities which allows them to develop their specific talents.

· We, as a school, are committed to setting and expecting the highest standards in all aspects of school life.

See commonsense please and stop playing with the future of children in such a way.

I will be talking to the National Assembly about this, as well as my Member of Parliament.

Yours faithfully

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

Bangle exclusion defended

Times Educational Supplement, UK

Gareth Davies

Published: 09 November 2007

Equality policy must be same for all, says head of school facing threat of High Court legal battle

The headteacher of a school that excluded a 14-year-old Sikh girl for wearing a religious bangle this week defended the decision on the grounds of the school’s equality policy.

Jane Rosser told TES Cymru that Sarika Watkins-Singh had clearly broken school rules at Aberdare Girls’ School by wearing the steel bracelet, called a Kara. The Rhondda Cynon Taf school could now face a High Court legal battle over the decision, which Sarika’s family claim is unfair and a breach of her human rights.

But Miss Rosser said that every pupil was made aware of the school’s code of conduct before enrolling there.

“A copy of the code of conduct is given to all girls before they even become a pupil at the school and is also issued at the start of every new term in September.

“We use this established code of conduct to ensure equality between all pupils,” she said.

Schoolgirl Sarika was sent home from the Rhondda Cynon Taf school on Tuesday for five days because she defied a ruling by the school’s governing body, banning her from wearing the Kara.

It had dismissed an appeal by Sarika and her parents on the grounds of health and safety within the code and conduct, and taking into consideration the school’s equality policy.

“Our code clearly states that there are only two items of jewellery girls are allowed to wear in school – a wristwatch and one pair of plain metal stud earrings,” Miss Rosser added.

A local authority spokesperson from Rhondda Cynon Taf also added in a statement that the decision was also due to the “overarching principle of the school to promote equality”.

Sarika is being backed by the Valleys Race Equality Council (Valrec), which has arranged for her to be represented by a solicitor.

Her mother Sanita said: “An application will be made to the High Court for a judicial review of the school’s decision. We believe the school is acting in contravention of the 1976 Race Relations Act and human rights legislation.

“We believe the school is acting unlawfully by refusing to let her wear the bangle. I feel absolutely disgusted and appalled.”

The bangle is one of the Five Ks – five items that baptised Khalsa. Sikhs are required to wear theses at all times to display their commitment to the faith.

Read this article in full in this week's TES Cymru, out Friday November 9

http://www.tes.co.uk/2456879

[buddasingh]

That's what I believe too. The kakkars are mandatory for an amritdhari Sikh. In practise, it is custom for many (probably the majority) of non amritdhari Sikhs to wear a kara, but it's not mandatory. How should we answer this point?

Confidently, that's how we should answer it. Like the Judges in the highest court in the country of Canada did in a 9-0 decision in favour of a boy wearing his kirpan to school....

The fact that different people practise the same religion in different ways does not affect the validity of the case of a person alleging that his or her freedom of religion has been infringed. What an individual must do is show that he or she sincerely believes that a certain belief or practice is required by his or her religion. The religious belief must be asserted in good faith and must not be fictitious, capricious or an artifice (Amselem, at para. 52). In assessing the sincerity of the belief, a court must take into account, inter alia, the credibility of the testimony of the person asserting the particular belief and the consistency of the belief with his or her other current religious practices (Amselem, at para. 53).

Prem, for such an intelligent person, you are so conflicted in every post. Ease up dude, have some confidence and be positive. Your repeated precision negative bents in your posts make you appear as if you were a paid agent.

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

Another email copied to the Sikh Federation (UK) and reproduced with the kind permission of the author

Dear Madam/Sir,

I find your decision on not allowing Sarika Singh to wear a Sikh bangle in your school bizarre at the very least and in breach of the Race Relations Act at the very worst. My view as a Welsh speaking, white, male, Christian parent governor (with a disability and also very enlightened) of my local school in Carmarthen is that the decision of the Headteacher and that of the Governor's is both ill founded and discriminatory.

I would be very keen to learn of and have sight of your extensive research of equality legislation that is purportedly reported on the BBC Wales Website so as to come to the conclusions you have done.

This is not managing difference effectively and to me is the incorrect way of leadership, this is not transformational but transactional and improper to say the least; how do you manage your school in this way?

I would also like to have some form of response to my e mail; my view is that your decisions are outdated and flawed; what are you basing your decision on? some archaic school policy and minimalist attitudes of governors. I'd also be very keen to know the make up of your governing body in terms of difference i.e. gender, ability/disability, sexual orientation, race, colour, language, etc.

I am particularly offended by the attitude of your school to this issue and have copied in the Welsh Assembly Government and Sikh Federation into this e mail; I am also happy to provide you with my address and contact numbers for further correspondence. How an earth can I develop my children about respect and dignity to others when your school appears to be living in the last century; I am completely incensed by your actions.

It is sad that around the World and in history people have been suppressed because of the ideology and misuse of power of a few; I'm pretty glad I do not live in Aberdare and am prepared to stick my head above the parapet and confront this kind of bizarre and unwarranted behaviour by those charged with protecting the rights, freedoms and many differences of its citizens.

I welcome your comments and views as a citizen and look forward to hearing from you at your earliest and hope that the Welsh Assembly Government intend taking remedial action against you as a school for what I consider to be disgraceful behaviour; have you removed any jewellery that other pupils wear that depict any faith or are your policies so outdated that you also refuse any pupil to wear that as well including watches.

Yours sincerely,

[Name and postal address were provided].

[Jkaur]

Urmm just wanted to ask.. the pupil is a girl rite.. and why is her name SARIKA SINGH.. shouldnt it be SARIKA KAUR?

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

Bangle row schoolgirl mum defiant

PA Group

12/11-2007 05:40

The mother of a Sikh schoolgirl suspended for wearing a religious bangle has warned there was "no chance" her daughter would remove it. Sarika Singh, 14, is due to return to Aberdare Girls' School, in south Wales, on Tuesday, after a week-long temporary exclusion. The mother of a Sikh schoolgirl suspended for wearing a religious bangle has warned there was "no chance" her daughter would remove it.

Sarika Singh, 14, is due to return to Aberdare Girls' School, in south Wales, on Tuesday, after a week-long temporary exclusion.

Mother Sinita Singh claimed her daughter had been treated "like a leper" by the school which taught her in isolation for nine weeks.

Even if the school relents and allows Sarika to wear the plain Kara bangle, she intends to hold the governors to account.

"We have to return to the school on Tuesday morning but I can tell you now that we cannot even consider taking the Kara off," she said.

"There is no chance. Full-stop. That simply will not happen."

The problem lies with the rigorous code of conduct which all pupils at the girls' school are obliged to re-endorse every year.

It bans the wearing of all jewellery with the sole exception of plain metal ear studs and a wrist-watch.

Sarika came into conflict with the code of conduct six months ago after governors ruled she should not wear the bangle.

The family argue the Kara is an important reminder to devout Sikhs to do good and not bad with the hands and should not be treated as jewellery.

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

EXPECT A LOT OF PUBLICITY AGAIN TODAY AS SARIKA TRIES TO RETURN TO SCHOOL . . .

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

EXPECT A LOT OF PUBLICITY AGAIN TODAY AS SARIKA TRIES TO RETURN TO SCHOOL . . .

Warning to school in row over Sikh bangle

Nov 13 2007 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail

HUMAN rights group Liberty has given a school two weeks to let a 14-year-old Sikh girl attend classes wearing a silver bangle that symbolises her commitment to the religion.

Last week Sarika Watkins-Singh was excluded from Aberdare Girls’ School after refusing to remove the kara bangle.

The school says she is in breach of a prohibition on the wearing of jewellery, but Sarika maintains she has a legal right to assert her religious beliefs.

Yesterday, Liberty solicitor Anna Fairclough wrote a pre-action letter to the school, warning that if the matter is not resolved in Sarika’s favour within two weeks, an application for a judicial review of the decision to ban her from wearing the kara will be lodged with the High Court.

The letter, which contains the detailed legal argument that Sarika will rely on, states, “The justification which the governing body has advanced for your treatment of our client does not begin to reach the standard required for a measure which discriminates contrary to [sections of the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Equality Act 2006].”

Ms Fairclough goes on to state that she is, “startled that part of the justification advanced for preventing our client from wearing the kara is to prevent her from being bullied.”

Today Sarika is due to return to school following a week’s suspension for wearing the kara. Her mother, Sanita Watkins- Singh, said there was “no chance” Sarika would agree to remove the Kara.

Meanwhile Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood said guidance to schools on the wearing of religious garb by pupils should be issued as a matter of urgency. The guidance has been in draft form and under consultation since December 2003.

A meeting of the agencies involved in the case, convened by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, is scheduled to take place today.

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-...91466-20099131/