An all-female school made a critical academic decision to prohibit students from wearing their hair in bangs, sparking outrage to ripple this week across the Thainet.
The ban became a sensation after a popular academic reform community published a photo Tuesday of a contract the school reportedly made parents sign agreeing to respect the ban. The page said it received the information from an unidentified student at the school who communicated via Facebook messenger.
“I (name of parent), the parent of (student name) acknowledge that my child violated school rules by getting bangs,” reads the contract they said is being passed out to parents of students with bangs.
The school was unnamed.
The agreement did not give any reason for the bang ban beyond saying it will ensure tidiness and student compliance with school rules.
“This agreement means that the student will be given time to grow out their bangs. They may not be allowed to get bangs again during this time and have to wear a black hair clip to stay tidy. I agree to comply with the school rules and regulations without condition.”
Parents are also being forced to show up in person to sign the agreement, according to another partial message said to be from the student. If they fail to do so, the school will issue a formal summons. After three such letters are issued, students risk being expelled.
An image of the agreement has been made with public scrutiny.
“Every student in our country should come out to claim our freedom and humanity from our schools. We will not be enslaved by absurd rules that serve no purpose. How much longer do we have to live in the past? We have to get up and fight to not let these people oppress us. We are students that have rights about our bodies. You don’t have the right to tell us what to do with them,” Facebook user L Kool VippalazTechnique wrote Tuesday in a comment that has received more than 300 likes.
Another said it laid bare bankrupt educational priorities.
“This is the stupidity of Thai schools and teachers. They’re too focused on what hairstyle students have and what they’re wearing,” Phodchanat Pookpaya wrote.
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