Another Hair-raising story
The two boys who were unable to attend school
yesterday because of the length of their hair
Hard of Hairing
Sept 12, 2000
By K. Garcia
The more things change, the more some people remain the same way. In this land of national unity and equal opportunity for all, two African braided children are being denied places in a school that Rastafarian hair styled children already attend. on the basis that their hair is too long. This only represents as far as I am concerned a continuation of the historical discrimination of people based on skin color, race, ethnicity, religion or hairstyle. It is a great jump in logic to assume that there is any basis for one's length of hair or absence of it, contributes to "enhancing a pupils performance and character grooming, and improving the quality and status of the school", as stated by the school administrator. It is the same as saying that differences in height, skin tone, facial features etc would be an impediment to what the school say's is their stated aims and objectives as was in the case in the colonial past. What warped logic and bias against the people whose braided hair is part of our cultural diversity.
If they are checking for dirty hair, please include dirty mouths,
skin, feet,crevices etc.
I patiently await the responses of those who swear loudly that we need national unity and equal opportunity for all in order for this country to progress. I also await especially the sermons of the champions of social
justice, one in particular Anglican Dean Knolly Clarke.
Tangled Web
Sept 12, 2000
By Clarke
It seems to me that when we decide to pack the landscape with schools, and pack those schools with incompetents, we're bound to have this type of problem.
Rather than simply look for schooling elsewhere, I wonder if the parents shouldn't take the headmaster (not the school) to court; maybe they can get a nice settlement to help them thru college.
Next thing: if there are rasta, muslim or jewish children in a school, will they be obliged to eat pork or attend religious services that don't relate to them? Will muslim girls again be forced to take off their veils?
So much for creeds and races finding equal place!
Cane row kid greeted in school with kiss
'After tremendous pressure'
Ferreira brothers
Sept 19, 2000
By Michelle Doodhai
Eight-year-old Michael Ferreira spent a "good" day at school and his younger brother Mark was greeted with a kiss on their first day at Coffee Boys' AC School yesterday.
Dressed in crisp, new school uniforms, their hair neatly braided, and with smiles on their faces, the children left the school compound happy, having already forgotten last week's incident.
Last week, the boys were turned away from the school by school principal Franklyn Phillip, because of the length of their hair. The boys' hair are styled in neatly plaited cane rows and are above shoulder length. After government intervention, the school was instructed to accept the boys and yesterday their mother, Lisa Prime, 31, took her sons to the school.
Since the controversy, Phillip has declined to comment , he said yesterday: "I am busy at this time, if you have any questions direct them to the Ministry please." When the boys came from their classes yesterday afternoon, Michael said he was placed in Standard One and Mark in "second year." The children said they did not see Principal Phillip and could not remember their teachers' names.
Michael said he spent a good day at school and enjoyed reading and playing but felt his book bag was too heavy. Munching a chocolate bar and distorting his face into a playful grimace, Mark said, "Somebody tried to kiss me, yuck!"
Another Hair-Rasing Story
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