The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) has advised its attorneys to report the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) to the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) for “engaging in discriminatory conduct”.
Lead attorney for the SDMS, Kiel Taklalsingh, sent a letter on Wednesday to TSC chair, Elizabeth Crouch.
It the letter, Taklalsingh raised the issue of discriminatory conduct after the TSC sent an invitation to denominational boards to meet with the body on Thursday afternoon following the SDMS’ pre-action protocol letter that seeks to revert to the traditional method of teacher-recruitment for denominational schools.
Taklalsingh said, “It is noteworthy that you have invited and/or allowed technical advisors to attend on behalf of certain denominational institutions whilst you have refused to allow a technical person from our Client’s Board of Education to accompany the Dharmacharya. This continues to be the case notwithstanding our Client’s clear written request of Monday 23rd January, 2022.”
“It is therefore clear that you as Chairman of the Teaching Service Commission are treating our Client and/or intent on treating its Hindu Schools differently to other denominations and in those circumstances our Client has instructed us to report you to the Equal Opportunities Commission as it appears that you are engaging in discriminatory conduct.”
The letter added: “We wish to place on the record that your recent attempts to engage in further consultation is not only premised in bad faith but also contrary to the principles of consultation. It is well known that consultation should take place at a formative stage where proposals are being considered in their early stages so that the necessary feedback can be ascertained and certain issues resolved.”
In its pre-action protocol letter on Thursday, the SDMS gave the Ministry of Education and the Teaching Service Commission 14 days to revert to the traditional method of selecting teachers for denominational schools or face further legal action.
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