School locks out pupils for hairstyles

Six high school pupils were refused entry to their school for having the wrong hairstyles yesterday morning.

Dressed in their school uniforms, two of the six sat outside Thabo Ntsako Secondary, in Thokoza, on the East Rand, until 2pm. The other four went home when the gates were shut on them.

Her whole head dyed brown, a 17-year-old Grade 11 pupil said: "This is the third time I've been chased away this year."

Another pupil, in Grade 10, has one half of her hair cut short and dyed light brown; the other half is short black braids.

"Teachers say those who grow their hair are outlaws," she said, arguing that her hair does not affect her learning ability.

The girls asked not to be named for fear of victimisation by their teachers and other pupils.

A school official said all pupils knew what was expected of them because the school's code of conduct had a section on hair styles.

"Some pupils are stubborn and don't want to adhere to school rules."

The mother of one of the locked-out pupils said: "No one at school told me her hairstyles were against the rules.

"I was surprised to see my daughter come home and undo her braids last month. She then curled her hair but later removed the curls."

Gauteng education department spokesman Charles Phahlane said the department's district office will investigate.

"Though many codes of conduct prohibit hairstyles, parents are normally called in to discuss the pupil's breach of the code."

SA Human Rights Commission spokesman Isaac Mangena advised parents to familiarise themselves with policies at their children's schools.

"Once it is established what the policy says, parents should adhere to it," Mangena said.