London school accused of religious discrimination after pupil challenged over tilak
London (PTI): A highly rated primary school in north-west London has been accused of religious discrimination after a diaspora advocacy group claimed an eight-year-old pupil was challenged for wearing a tilak on his forehead.
INSIGHT UK claimed in a statement on Monday that the child and his family suffered “significant distress” over the issue at Vicar’s Green Primary School in Wembley, leaving Hindu parents with no option but to remove at least four pupils from the school.
However, the school denied any form of discrimination at its "diverse and inclusive” institution, which has pupils from more than 50 language backgrounds, including a significant number of Hindus.
“The Tilak-Chandlo is not a cosmetic or cultural accessory, it is an integral religious observance for many Hindus,” said an INSIGHT UK spokesperson.
“Preventing a child from practising their faith, or making them feel ashamed or intimidated for doing so, is wholly unacceptable in a modern, multicultural Britain.
“For over 1 billion Hindus worldwide, sacred markings such as the Tilak-Chandlo, Bindi, Tikka, Tripundra etc are integral expressions of faith. To trivialise or mislabel such practices in an educational setting reflects a troubling lack of religious literacy,” the spokesperson said.
Among the reports collated by the group, the school headteacher and governors are said to have displayed a lack of “cultural and religious sensitivity” during attempts at dialogue.
“This was not a good-faith dialogue — it was an imbalance of power, where Hindu religious practices were scrutinised, minimised, and ultimately rejected,” INSIGHT UK claimed.
It has called on the school to review its policies and staff training to ensure compliance with equality and safeguarding laws.
Ealing Council, the local authority in charge of the school rated “outstanding” by the independent Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), responded to PTI’s inquiry with a statement from a spokesperson for Vicar’s Green Primary School.
“Our longstanding school policy asks pupils not to wear visible skin markings including religious ones. We met with the parents of a pupil who was wearing a Tilak-Chandlo on their forehead to discuss the matter sensitively and sought to understand the reason for it," the school spokesperson stated.
“We fully recognised the family’s religious beliefs and, in a spirit of conciliation, we offered a reasonable compromise by making an exception to our policy so the symbol could be worn on a less prominent part of the body. This was, unfortunately, rejected by the pupil’s parents," the spokesperson said.
The school went on to reference its recent OFSTED inspections as recognising its inclusive environment where children "thrive".
The spokesperson added: “The school’s governing body also thoroughly reviewed the case and wrote to the parents explaining the school's decision in detail and also offered the reasonable adjustments the school had offered, as well as special religious occasions. Unfortunately, the parents did not accept either of these adjustments.
“We have always approached these discussions respectfully, sensitively and thoroughly, which has taken up a considerable amount of time and stress for the school, and its community. As a school, our priority is always the wellbeing of all our children.”
Vicar’s Green Primary School stressed that it values and respects the diverse cultural and religious backgrounds in its community, with its policy designed to “promote cohesion, fairness, equality and a shared sense of belonging while preventing division or disruption within the school community”.
The official UK government classification describes it as a mixed (co-ed) "community school", or a secular state school, that caters to pupils aged between three and eleven.
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Vijay unable to prove majority, not invited for CM oath ceremony: Sources
Chennai: Actor-politician Vijay has reportedly not been invited to take oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after failing to demonstrate support from the required number of MLAs, sources in Raj Bhavan said.
According to media reports that quoted sources in the office of R.N. Ravi Arlekar, Vijay could not prove the backing of 118 legislators, the majority mark in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Despite last-minute efforts to secure support from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazagam (AMMK), and an IUML legislator, Vijay reportedly managed support from only 116 MLAs, falling short by two members.
Sources said Vijay failed to submit letters of support from the VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Later, the IUML issued a statement clarifying that it was not part of the TVK-led alliance.
Meanwhile, AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran is also said to have informed the Governor that his party would support the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) instead.
Earlier in the evening, Vijay had met Governor Arlekar and staked claim to form the government, stating that he enjoyed the support of 118 MLAs.
