So we have seen at the start of the new school year here in St. Kitts-Nevis, many students-both girls and boys are making good on the new hair guidelines which many children – and by extension their parents and guardians are pleased about.
The boys can now sport an afro and plait their hair while the girls can add some hair braid extensions but not longer than shoulder length. It is certainly amazing how political hair is around the world, and not just in the school systems but in societies at large.
It is no secret that certain systems, organization and individuals have discriminatory positions and ‘old school’ opinions on how children should wear their hair. What is more, our black race has had a history of oppression relating to the hair expression of our melanin identity and features.
Although the school hair rules have changed in the Federation, not everyone in society is smiling about it. Some people would say it is just hair and the seriousness and rules about how students wear it really should not be a big deal once it is neat and tidy.
And while those statements are true to some extent, for religious purposes hair is not just hair but rather
symbolism of faith. Hence, over the years children from Rastafarian households have long had the right to wear their knotty locs; though a few hurdles had to be crossed. Wearing locs has been a norm for students who choose it as a hairstyle.
Kudos to the Ministry of Education for plucking the old ways of ‘policing’ children’s hair and giving the students an opportunity to be creative in expressing their individuality while in a learning environment. “What does hair have to do with a child’s learning?” is a popular question for those of the side of rooting in their support for flexibility when it comes to the topic of school rules about hair.
We are happy that the children are happy. This surely sends a positive message to the students about embracing their identity and creativity. We are also quite pleased that the students whose short made them worry about their image, will get a boost of confidence with a natural-like flare to their experience at school.
In today’s world where many children get worry about their self-image and discovering their developing personalities-especially through their adolescent years-it is certainly comforting to know that their ‘crowning beauty’ will help to create a sense of pride, style, comfort and confidence.
