Education Minister Fayval Williams once again calls on school administrators not to exclude students from classes because of their hairstyle or appearance.
Williams made this appeal in his address today on the third and final day of the 60th annual conference of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) in Trelawny.
While Williams acknowledged that the recurring issue of student appearance will be raised again when the new school year begins on September 2, he said school leaders need to seek dialogue with students and their parents about the issue.
“The issue of curly hair in school, wearing natural hair, all of these issues will be with us on September 2nd. We continue to insist that no child should be excluded from school because of issues with clothing and appearance,” Williams said at today’s assembly.
“There should be a process in our schools for consultation and conversation with students and their parents. We know these are difficult situations in our schools, but I firmly believe that together we can overcome them and have a successful school year,” Williams added.
The issue of students’ hairstyle and grooming has been a constant concern for school administration in recent years, leading the Ministry of Education to draft a grooming policy for schools ahead of the September 2023 school year.
This policy follows a series of consultations in August 2022 on the topic of student clothing and personal hygiene at school.
The aim of the consultations was to develop a strategy for educational institutions that strikes a balance between students’ rights and compliance with school rules.
– Christopher Thomas
Follow The Gleaner on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Message us on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at [email protected] or [email protected].
