School uniform guidelines to prevent racial and religious discrimination

The Equal Opportunities Commission will introduce school uniform guidelines next month to prevent pupils from suffering discrimination due to their race or religion.

"It has come to the EOC's attention that there have been concerns raised by schools and parents of ethnic minority pupils involving school uniform policies," the commission's chairman, York Chow Yat-ngok, said yesterday.

"Most of these cases tend to focus on racial issues relating to religious beliefs.

"Some religions and cultures require adherents to follow a particular dress code or to outwardly manifest their beliefs by wearing or carrying specific items."

Chow (pictured) said although schools' uniform traditions should be respected, religious traditions such as the wearing of headscarves by Muslim pupils should also be respected.

However, he said not all requests were "proper", giving the example of pupils who asked to wear veils that could affect their studying in classes and social interactions.

Although there is no law against religious discrimination, Chow said that as religious practices were often linked to racial identities, uniform requirements could breach the Racial Discrimination Ordinance by "indirectly" discriminating against racial groups.