Persons who send children home over hairstyles to face ‘disciplinary proceedings’ – Manickchand restates 

In clear terms, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has stated that any person who sends home a child from school because of their hairstyle will face disciplinary proceedings.

“Children are not to be sent home for any breach or perceived breach of any school’s hairstyle rule. And any person doing so (sending children home) will face disciplinary proceedings,” the Education Minister wrote on her Facebook page early Tuesday morning.

Shortly after, the Education Ministry also issued a reminder to schools that children should not be sent home because of their hairstyles.

Importantly, this is the first time it is being explicitly stated that individuals will face disciplinary actions should they send a learner home because of their hairstyles.

The statements were made in response to a post made indicating that a South Ruimveldt Secondary School student was sent home because of her hairstyle.

There has been intensified discussion on dated hair rules in schools recently. In January, the Ministry of Education issued a memorandum stating that learners must not be sent home over perceived hairstyle breaches.

Headteachers were reminded that their main priority is to ensure all learners are in school and are being taught with the aim of reducing any further learning loss.

Further, the memo warned that in any instance of a learner being deemed to have an inappropriate hairstyle, the school must invite his or her parent or guardian to discuss the perceived infraction.

The Ministry of Education has said that it has no policy regulating hairstyles in schools; rules have been created by the schools themselves.