Sat provides stats on enrolment at Hindu School, no race bias

The Secretary General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha Satnarayan Maharaj told reporters Friday he never told the principal of the Tunapuna Hindu School not to admit black pupils.

The charge was made by Sita Gajadharsingh Nanga and in Parliament this week, the PNM made an issue of it, suggesting that there was deliberate plan by the Maha sabha to deny black children admittance to the primary school.

However Maharaj denied that. And he provided the statistics on enrolment to show that children of every ethnicity and religion attend the school.

According to the official enrolment by ethnic grouping and sex the school has 516 pupils, including 22 of African descent and 456 of Indian descent. He also noted that there are 36 children of mixed ancestry, one Caucasian and one classified as "other".

The majority of the children - 394 - are Hindus, he stated, with Muslims, Roman Catholics, Anglican, Presbyterians, Baptists and other Christians sects enrolled as well.

Maharaj made the point that the school is located in a predominantly Hindu area so it is not unusual to have a majority of students from that religious grouping. He said if the school were located in Laventille the statistics would have been very different.

He also accused the PNM of a deliberate policy of attacking the Maha Sabha and said the plan to destroy the religious organisation won't work.

"They believe they could grind the Maha Sabha in the dust. Not ten like Rowley and his colleagues. They have tried it for the last 20 years. Left to the PNM the Maha Sabha would not be in existence," Maharaj said.

With respect to action against the principal, Maharaj presented two letters sent to the Teaching Service Commission complaining about the principal, as well as correspondence from the PTA to the principal, and several other documents.

Maharaj's letter to the Teaching Service Commission, dated August 10, said Gajadharsingh Nanga’s behaviour was disruptive and that parents had expressed concern about the possibility of a confrontation. Maharaj asked for the principal to be transferred.

He gave reasons for the Maha Sabha's displeasure with the principal. These include her alleged failure to institute a program for infants to learn the religious prayers and attempts to frustrate efforts to complete a temple on the school compound.

Maharaj also made the point that when the Tunapuna Hindu school opened on September 2, 1952 the first student, Ernest Smith, was of African ancestry.

“There was never any talk about people are kept out because of race or religion and again I want to remind you, if you go to Laventille you will not see an Indian child in a primary school there...because they don’t live there.”