Here to stay: Education Ministry warns against hair discrimination in schools
Juanique Tennant / Our Today
Amid reports of students being barred from sitting examinations due to inappropriate hairstyles, the Ministry of Education is again warning schools that hairstyles should not hinder education.
In a release from the education ministry dated Monday (June 14), it reiterated the position that “the hairstyle of students should not prevent them from sitting their exams”.
While issuing a firm warning to schools who fail to abide by the ministry’s guidelines regarding hairstyles in school, the ministry stated that investigations into reports of students being turned away from sitting exams because they “needed a haircut” are ongoing.
In the meantime, the ministry reiterated that “hairstyle is not a hindrance to learning and neither should it be used to exclude students from school”.
The ministry has asked that all schools ensure that the interest of students is foremost in their actions at all times and has noted that the findings of the present investigations will be made public once they are complete.
The issue of the appropriateness of hairstyles in Jamaican schools is long-standing, with reports often surfacing about schools barring males from entering school or participation in class due to inappropriate hairstyles.
Last year, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Kensington Primary School after a student’s parents pursued legal action against the institution when they were told that removing their seven-year-old child’s dreadlocks was a prerequisite for acceptance.
Despite the ruling, however, the school would later decide to accept the student.
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