UTRECHT, 08/11/06 - Schools in the Netherlands cannot demand from teachers that they shake hands with persons from the opposite sex, the Equal Treatment Committee (CGB) ruled yesterday.

The Vader Rijn College, a secondary school in Utrecht, demanded from a Muslim teacher that she shook hands with men. She did so in the past but changed her mind after a trip to her parents' country of origin.

The school's articles of association state that it aims to teach children respectful manners and to prepare them for the labour market and its customs. But the CGB ruled that the school must allow the Muslim woman to greet men in other ways. This does not undermine the school's objectives, which also include "combating ethnocentrism", the verdict stated.

Labour (PvdA) is unhappy with the verdict. "Pupils should learn that shaking hands is normal. When a teacher refuses to do so, that really gives a wrong signal", said a party spokesman. The CGB produces non-binding verdicts but these are generally upheld in real courts.