Yesterday we told you about the hairy situation at Anglican Cathedral College, where over 2 dozen students were sent home on the first day due to the length of their hair. It's an outdated policy some schools have and one that has been condemned countless times by the Ministry of Education. And today, MOE made it clear once again that students cannot be denied due to the length of their hair. Courtney Menzies has this story.
After weeks of preparing for the first day of their last year of high school, these three students were sent home because of the length of their braids.
So before midday these girls, along with about 2 dozen other students, were out of class and off their campus.
It's not an uncommon occurrence, and for the past two Septembers, the Minister of Education has made his position clear - first in a case in Orange Walk in 2022, and then in Corozal in 2023:
September 07, 2022
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
"I think these things are shackles of colonialism that is still a part - what does the length of your hair have to do with how you learn? As one young person posted on social media, it is not about what is on top of your head, it is what is inside of your head."
September 14, 2022
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
"Schools do have the right to have certain rules and guidelines if you want to attend. But the length of your hair or your hairstyle is not one of them."
And today the Minister of State reiterated those sentiments:
Dr Louis Zabaneh, Minister of State, Ministry of Education
"If you're sending children home because of their hairstyle or things of that nature, our leadership, in the ministry, as you would have, could discuss that and you would have heard from Minister Fonseca say this over and over that that's not the reason to have someone not get that opportunity for an education. That is so vital, so critical, especially for students who may be coming from a background in which they need an education to uplift themselves."
"Those are the things that we are focusing on in terms of retraining of our teachers, a follow up to our principals, etc., because now the focus is not really on all traditional rules and ways of doing things. It's about empowering each child and meeting them where they are. And so it's a mindset shift. And we are adamant that this shift must occur so that we can give every young person that chance in life to better themselves."
And one attorney said that it's an issue that has been taken to the courts before, and that principals should ensure they are following the policy rather than rushing to suspend the children.
Richard "Dickie" Bradley, Attorney
"These matters have been settled in the United States High Court. Settled in the Caribbean high courts and in Belize there is a ruling in regards to the matter of how you dress. So we want our students to be tidy. We want them to focus on their school lessons and not trying to follow a lot of North American hairstyles but it is a difficult thing to look at a hair that Jomarie has and say a student can't look like that. That's kind of stretching it."
And today the Minister of Education told us, quote, "The Chief Education Officer Ms Yolanda Gongora has reached out to the school administration to discuss the matter. No child can be denied access to Education because of the style or length of their hair." End quote.
Our news team went back to the school this evening and was told that the students were threatened with suspensions if they spoke to our reporter.
We will keep following this story.
Email
Print