Christian School amends uniform policy to admit Sikh boy with patka, Australia.

The Melton Christian College (MCC) has amended its uniform policy this month to enrol 5 year old Sidhak Singh in the new academic year, after refusing his admission last year because he wore a patka, a head covering worn by Sikh children.

A Victorian tribunal had ruled a the school unlawfully discriminated against a young Sidhak when it refused to accept him as a student if he wore his traditional headwear.His parents applied to enrol him at Melton Christian College in 2016, but the school told them its uniform policy required boys to have short hair and not wear headwear from a non-Christian faith.

MCC has now amended its uniform policy, to allow exceptions where genuine medical or religious grounds exist, following a landmark decision of the Victorian Administrative and Civil Tribunal (VCAT) in Sept 2017 that found that Sidhak Singh had been unlawfully discriminated by MCC when they had refused to enrol him because he had unshorn hair and wore a patka.

Sidhak Singh's father, Sagardeep Singh, said after VCAT's ruling, "I was approached by UNITED SIKHS in January this year when they learnt that I did not have legal representation. They assisted me and arranged pro bono representation by Herbert Smith Freehills, a top law firm in Australia."

MCC is founded on Christian doctrine, and is committed to an inclusive school community partnering with families in excellent Christian education. MCC regrets the difficulties that took place with respect to the enrolment and the Arora family is grateful to the school for the amendments it has made to the uniform policy in order to welcome Sidhak to the school."

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