Turbans in British school colours

Press, 11 October 1982, Page 24

Turbans in British school colours

NZPA London Muslim children will be served ritually slaughtered Halal meat for their school lunches and sikhs will be allowed to wear turbans in school colours-under a plan aimed at improving race relations in the English city of Bradford.

The proposals, which have been made by the city’s race relations advisory group, are expected to be formally approved next month. Backed by Conservative and Labour councillors, the plan would allow Muslim relgious leaders to conduct prayers at schools with a big number of Muslim pupils and would ensure that head teachers respect pipils who have to wear traditional dress. The city authorities will pay for turbans and the Punjabi churidar (trousers) for children whose parents cannot afford them. Free school uniforms are already provided for pupils

from poor families. Pupils will be allowed too wear religious jewellery including the Sikh kera, a bracelet worn on the wrist, and the tawiz, a string running from a small box which contains a segment of the Koran, worn around the arm.

Separate cubicles will be provided for Muslim girls to change for physical education and swimming. ‘ Islamic modesty must be protected at all times,” a Bradford council spokesman said. Muslim children will be allowed to wear clothes when showering, and track suits or churiders will be allowed for physical education and swimming.

Bradford has 10,000 Muslim school pupils and 4000 to 5000 Sikhs, Hindus, and West Indians. In some schools 90 per cent of the pupils are Asians. The city’s Asian community is reported to have been talking seriously about with-

drawing its children from schools and setting up its own because their religious customs have not been respected. Muslim parents are reported to have sent some 300 children, mostly girls, back to Pakistan to be educated. Parents complained that their children were being educated in an almost exclusively Christian culture.

The Bradford council spokesman said. “Parents did not want their children to have to follow Christian religious education and have asked us to honour the 1944. Education Act.”

The act allows parents to withdraw children from mornning assemblies and religious education classes if these do not conform with their own beliefs. But there have been complaints that the head teachers did not tell them about their rights under the act. Bradford has an Asian community of about 50.000.