Splitting hairs

Some male students at the G. C. Foster College of Physical Education & Sport in St Catherine are furious over rules barring them from campus for having long hair or cornrow hairstyles.

“They told us to regularise our hair in order to remain enrolled, and if we do not, we would be barred from entering the school,” a student, who asked not to be named, told The Gleaner.

The trainee teacher said he had no choice but to cut his hair as he was faced with an ultimatum.

“I was not happy at all cutting my hair,” said the disgruntled student, who said that having been forced to cut his hair low during high school, he was looking forward to the freedom to grow it at the college level.

He explained that although his hair was long, it was properly groomed.

“The principal, he does his job, but in this particular instance, he went about it in the wrong way because most of us felt discriminated against because of our hair. We did not want to cut our hair, but in all honesty, we were forced to,” the student complained.

Principal Maurice Wilson noted that all the teachers’ colleges have a grooming policy.

“What we have said to the students is that we are having issues where they are being stigmatised because of their grooming,” he told The Gleaner on Thursday.

Wilson said that when a person decides to enrol at a teacher’s college, that person has to make the choice based on the rules that govern the institution.

Asked if there are prescribed sanctions for students who refuse to conform with the policy, Wilson said: “The regulations state that you can usher them out of the profession.”

However, Wilson said the approach that has been taken by G. C. Foster is to use “gentle coercion” to get students to comply.

He made it clear that the college has no issue with Rastafarians who desire to attend the institution, noting that all that such an individual would need to present is a letter to substantiate that he is a member of the faith.

There are strict codes that must be followed by students who attend teachers’ colleges.

The student handbook at G. C. Foster stipulates that for males, “no cornrows, plaits, or twisting” are allowed. It also states that hair should be at a maximum length of half an inch and properly combed. It said that failure to follow these rules will result in students being barred from class.

“They paid their money to us so that we can train them to be the best that they can be,” said Wilson, adding that the objective is for them to be at the top of the list for selection to take up jobs in the schools.

Wilson said his sons could not attend G.C. Foster or Church Teachers’ College as they would run afoul of the hair-grooming rules. However, he noted that such strict regulations do not apply at some universities in Jamaica.

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