The hair debate has all along been a beauty thing but the recent court ruling that a dreadlocked student is allowed to be in school has added a religious twist to it.
This is sure to reignite the debate on the rights of learners. The hairstyles menu across the country is quite rich but the majority of the schools in Kenya restrict what learners can have and for good reasons. The most important reason for picking a school hairstyle is uniformity.
Schools, especially boarding, bring together leaners from different regions, communities and social strata. Most schools instruct their learners to shave their hair as short as possible. Donning short hair across the board makes the learners feel ‘equal’ and thus helps schools to reduce the arguments about class status among students.
The reasoning behind this is that some parents would go to great lengths to have their children, especially girls, have the longest, ‘straightest’ and silkiest hair in the whole compound. This process comes with a price and not everyone can afford the luxury. Short hair means less debate on who can or cannot afford to have long hair.
Short hair is obviously easy to take care of. It requires a simple soap wash and a towel. There is no need for lots of shampoos, hot combs and hair driers. With a little hair care product, students with short hair can easily remain smart at all times. The hygiene associated with short hair cannot be overemphasized. It can also be argued that learners with short hair will spend less time grooming themselves.
This will save time for academic purposes or co-curricular activity. Allowing this freedom to infringe on strategies of maintaining order among learners will only create confusion, especially where religion is involved.
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