9th October 2022 – Last week, it came as a shock to several parents at Aylesbury Public School in Brampton when they realized that their student has been assigned a task titled ‘Khalistan Referendum Response’. The task included links from different websites and had questions such as “should the Canadian government have attempted to halt the Khalistan Referendum political protest in Brampton? Why or Why not?” and “was India’s response to the protest a fair reaction? Why or why not?”
Hindu Forum Canada, when became aware of this assignment, wrote a letter to the Director of Education, Ms. Rashmi Swarup, at Peel District School Board. The letter stated that the said “assignment is potentially divisive, contentious and creates fissures among friendly communities in Canada.”
Vishal Saini, Director at Hindu Forum Canada spoke to Hindu Times Canada on this issue. “We are disappointed. Such a topic is not suitable for such young kids. We want them to study hard, play hard and make friends. These are sensitive matters and can create friction between them”.
Hindu Times Canada wrote to the media spokesperson at PDSB and it was confirmed to us that the sensitive assignment has been removed from Google Classroom learning platform and will not be used as part of instruction again. Staff at Aylesbury Public School will also be reviewing all classroom materials with a focus on sensitivity and to ensure the best interests of the students.
