Teachers in schools can go to rather extensive lengths to enforce compliance with school rules.
One teacher in Thailand resorted to giving over 100 students ‘ugly’ haircuts after they failed to meet the hair length requirements of the school.
This incident drew major backlash from the Thai public as the Thai Education Ministry lifted hairstyle regulations in schools in 2020.
Thai Minister for Education Trinuch Thienthong has since instructed state agencies to look into the matter.
On 7 Feb, student rights group นักเรียนเลว or Bad Student took to Facebook and Twitter to call out a Thai school for punishing students by chopping their hair off.
Source: นักเรียนเลว on Facebook
According to their post, the school rules don’t indicate that students who fail to comply with hair-length guidelines would have their hair cut. However, a new director at the school allegedly gave a teacher the go-ahead to cut students’ hair.
This is reportedly the first time the school has imposed such a punishment. Prior to the incident, the school apparently never implemented hairstyle rules strictly.
Bad Student claimed that more than 100 students got their hair haphazardly cut that day.
Photos show clumps of hair strewn across a school courtyard.
Source: Twitter
Some students who became victims of the haphazard haircuts seemingly sported bald patches on their heads.
Source: Twitter
Multiple Twitter users also shared videos of the incident under Bad Student’s original Tweet.
Source: Twitter
The clips show a man, presumably a school staff, going around with a pair of scissors and randomly grabbing tufts of students’ hair before cutting them.
Source: Twitter
Bad Student’s original Tweet has been re-tweeted over 27,000 times in four days. Enraged Thai netizens also left hundreds of comments expressing their disdain for the teacher’s actions.
According to Bangkok Post, Thai Education Minister Trinuch Thienthong has since instructed state agencies to look into the situation.
Ms Trinuch noted that cutting students’ hair as punishment is inappropriate, as the Education Ministry lifted hairstyle regulations in 2020.
She also announced that the ministry will devise a policy to allow students the choice of wearing their hair either long or short. Each school can then come up with more specific rules for its students.
The teacher and school director will face disciplinary action if they prove to be in the wrong.
Bad Student later alleged in subsequent posts that the school has been trying to silence students and influence the investigation outcomes after the incident blew up.
Source: นักเรียนเลว on Facebook
Rumours swirled that teachers were ‘supervising’ students outside the school to prevent them from saying anything negative to the press.
Those who got their hair cut were also made to wear hoodies to cover up their haircuts.
Source: นักเรียนเลว on Facebook
The school has also reportedly pre-picked the students who will represent the student body in the investigations by authorities. The selected students have allegedly been instructed to only talk about the school in a positive light.
However, these are merely allegations for now. Hopefully, the authorities will investigate the matter thoroughly and seek justice for anyone who may have been wronged.
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Featured image adapted from Twitter and Twitter.
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