School Rules Not Tackling the Right Issues
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I really don't understand what's the matter with Schools these days.
Apparently, their rules are enforced over seemingly trivial pursuits, while behaviours and attitudes of students, are pretty much untethered.
Looks like Regulatory Retadardation to me...
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GIRL'S DESPERATE PLEA TO SCHOOL
Stop picking on my hair
By Veena Bharwani
January 27, 2007
TIE your hair up if it's long. No outlandish or punkish hairstyles. And certainly no dyeing or streaking.
PRI 1: Siti (above, right) with her sister in an album photo. Even as a child, Siti had always had lightly-streaked hair. Her mother had to show her baby photos to her teachers before they believed her
Such rules are common at girls' schools. But what happens if you are born with natural light brown streaks?
Take the case of Eurasian student Siti Mohd Said Galistan.
The Sec 4 Normal-Technical student at Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (PLMGS) said she has faced countless scoldings and spot checks from teachers who don't believe her streaks are real.
According to her, the school even threatened to have her hair genetically-tested after her parents spoke to The New Paper about her predicament.
'They just refused to believe the streaks are real. It's very frustrating as every year the same thing happens. I explain and I get scolded,' she said.
Siti, 16, said she was born with light brown streaks in her hair.
Her father, Mr Galistan Joseph Peter, 54, has similar streaks in his hair, said her mother, Madam Salamah Ali, 56, a housekeeper.
Two years ago, Siti said the school even called in a hairdresser to see if Siti was telling the truth about her hair.
'The hairdresser told them my streaks were natural,' she said. Hairstylists we spoke to said it was possible to tell between natural streaks and artificially-coloured streaks by looking at the roots.
If the roots also display the streaks after one month, then its natural.
According to Siti, after the hairstylist had verified that her streaks were natural, her form teacher issued her with a 'hair pass' as a form of explanation for other teachers in the school.
For two years, Siti carried the pass with her. But according to her, the pass, which has yet to be renewed this year, never worked.
SAME OLD PROBLEM
SEC 1: Siti gets into trouble in school for having streaked hair. In Sec 2, she had to carry a special 'hair pass' explaining that the highlights in her hair are natural
In fact, Siti had been having this hairy problem with the school ever since she joined it in Sec 1.
Siti's mother said she has made several trips to the school to explain that Siti's streaks are natural.
She has even gone with baby photos of Siti.
Frustrated with the many complaints this year, Madam Salamah decided to dye Siti's hair dark brown to avoid all the problems.
'I didn't dye it black as it won't be close to Siti's natural hair colour, which is dark brown with light brown streaks.
'Of course, I'm not a professional hairdresser. And so after I dyed it, unfortunately, her hair still appeared to be streaked.
'It's too costly to go to a hairdresser and do it. It would cost $75. I'd rather use the money at the market,' said Madam Salamah, who has four other children and earns $1,800 a month.
She sent Siti to school with an explanatory note on why she did it.
'I didn't want anymore fuss. I just wanted it to be over. I thought with her hair dyed totally, she won't have any more problems.'
SEC 4: Siti with dyed hair. Her mother (left) dyed her hair in a last ditch effort to make her hair look 'normal' -- HEDY KHOO
However, during a spot check on 11 Jan, Siti said she was singled out and scolded again - this time for having dyed hair.
Siti was not allowed to go to class until her mother rushed down to explain.
Said Madam Salamah: 'I took a cab down in the middle of the work day and they told me Siti's hair had to be dyed a much darker colour.
'They wanted me to dye Siti's hair in front of her form teacher and the principal. Why should I do it? Hasn't my daughter been humiliated enough? Dyeing and re-dyeing is very bad for her hair and scalp.
'I paid $24 on a taxi rushing down to talk about the same issue. It's just ridiculous and a waste of time and money,' said Madam Salamah.
'Why can't they focus on more important things like her N Levels, which are coming up this year?
TEARS OF FRUSTRATION
'My daughter has come home and cried many times in frustration because of this,' added Madam Salamah.
Siti claimed all this has affected her morale.
'I really don't like school anymore. I can't concentrate because of this,' she said.
When contacted, the school declined to go into details of Siti's case and would only say in an e-mail response that they had met her parents and that the issue had been resolved.
On their hair policies in general, the school said: 'Students should not have coloured or highlighted hair when they are in school uniform.'
But what happens if a student's hair is naturally coloured? The school did not answer.
Siti's elder sister, Shahida Said, 19, a former PLMGS student, said that hair rules in the school were even stricter in earlier years.
'When I was in Sec 2, the school did not allow students to have long hair. If your hair was below your collar, you had to cut it.
'Your hair was not allowed to be too short as well, as it isn't feminine. A schoolmate of mine had to wear a wig to school because her hair was too short.'
Another former PLMGS student confirmed this incident.
Said the girl, who declined to be named: 'That girl cut her hair so short that she looked like a boy. The school gave her a wig to wear as punishment.
'The didn't want us to have long hair as they didn't want us to waste time making unnecessary trips to the toilet and comb our hair too much.'
The New Paper understands that PLMGS has since adjusted its rules and now allows students to have long hair. -
tsk tsk...
I agree, sometimes school rules not tackling the really very right issues.
They said pupils are to have 'fun' in the school, but how to have fun when they tackle with these small issues?? long hair oso must cut?!?! especially for girls, they can just tie it up wat.
sometimes, i have no ideas what these schools are thinking... -
sch shld be flexible
wasting of money n effort, MOE shld look into this matter
the parent, if can, shld go to court and request compensation from sch. This is simply ridiculous and idiotic
i would hav transferred my child out of this sch if i were the parent
the sch shld be criticsized at the way of handling this matter and all ways n avenue shld be exhausted to make the sch pay for its poor handling at this matter -
In this case, it is not about being flexible or not.
The educators need to be educated on hair colors before gunning students down. -
here, i would say that the idiots who run the education system are just that.. idiots..
so what if their hair is different coloured?
if you just let it be, is it going to change anything?
just because the child has red or brown hair, the child will become a mass murdering child molester later in life?
sheesh! -
i even seen teachers dye their hair purple......old teacher somemore
wtf man.... -
Schools should focus on issues on improving on their subjects instead on tormenting hairy issues. Such tormenting could affect students' performance and also might even causes student's fear of going to school.
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And I thought our gov proudly claims we have Racial Harmony? If there is, how come TEACHERS (of all people) don't know about hair colors between races - especially the mixed ones...???
Or is it simply a case of BLINDLY following the book and decades of saying and being Yes Men/Women???
Where are their abilities to distinguish treu differences? Too educated to be flexible perhaps??? -
no shutterbug... they are much like you.. the ministry of education possess a one track mind.. just like your incessant rants against the gabrament, good or bad...
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Well, can't blame me.. haven't read much POSITIVE news relating to our gov so far - have we all??Originally posted by the Bear:no shutterbug... they are much like you.. the ministry of education possess a one track mind.. just like your incessant rants against the gabrament, good or bad...
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KNS la..
My last time sec sch whole day ask people cut slope.. go die la..
long fringe never catch, only want slope.. but i heck care, just tell the barber cut short then say my hair just cut 2 weeks ago but grow back -
i think there is smth wrong with this sch... no offence
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Originally posted by ShutterBug:
The New Paper understands that PLMGS has since adjusted its rules and now allows students to have long hair.
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u mean gals shouldnt have long hair??? FU.CK SCHOOL LIFE!! I THINK PLM AFFECTED BY THE RETARDED AHBENG ACADEMY JUZ BESIDE IT !! -
Something wrong with THIS school only?Originally posted by OasisBlue:i think there is smth wrong with this sch... no offence
I say there's many things wrong with the whole friggin system...
there's no set standards. every school their own!!! -
its not the school, its not the rules, its the inflexible moronic people in it that refuse to believe their own students, even when its proven. they want to be boss, be the ultimate authority for their little make believe system in school.
they ought to be sued for discrimination. -
Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable. Rules make the learner's path long, examples make it short and successful.
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Nope, the child will become a lazy bear like ah Bear.Originally posted by the Bear:here, i would say that the idiots who run the education system are just that.. idiots..
so what if their hair is different coloured?
if you just let it be, is it going to change anything?
just because the child has red or brown hair, the child will become a mass murdering child molester later in life?
sheesh! -
to be honest.. the schools in singapore have a tinge of SAF in them.
uniforms.. senseless rules.. sigh. -
Singapore schools are seriously screwed up.
they set rules without knowing why they're set. they just set it... for fun.. so that the school appears to be enforcing discipline and having a set of rules to follow.
for example, when i was in sec sch, we werent allowed to wear ankle socks.
does it make the students look any less of a student?
socks are meant to prevent direct contact between the foot and the shoe, and not provide extra warmth for the area above the calves.
interestingly, this is a reflection on the way the country is governed.
i need not elaborate. -
States are as the men, they grow out of human characters.
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Discipline is important in schools yet schools must also be flexible in their rules to allow for exceptional cases such as natural brown hair.
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I feel so sad for the girl...
But I'm glad that this story is published in the New Paper. Now everyone is aware of the problem and can pressurise PLMGS to scrap the hair rule crap. Hopefully the publishing of this story will also end the nightmare for the girl. -
i wonder how wearing ankle songs,keeping of long hair and any other apperance-related rules will affect the student academic results.....
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yes i also hate the sch rules.. afterall we are there to study, why kp so much on trivial stuff.. ppl do things best (eg. studying, playing etc) when they're happy..
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Once my school's DM took offence at my friend's brown hair.
The thing is, his hair was brown as a result of being on the school swimming team and that the chlorinated water damaged it to the point where the hair had a brownish tint.
The DM accused him of cooking up a tall tale and told him not to be funny with him.
Sheesh... some educators are definitely in need of basic education.