Education Minister does not foresee schools struggling to enforce grooming policies despite recent court ruling

By Nakinskie Robinson   

 

Minister of Education Fayval Williams is disagreeing with comments suggesting that school administrators could encounter challenges with enforcing grooming policies come September.

 

Her rebuttal comes after National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica President, Stewart Jacobs, warned that problems could arise from last week's ruling by the Court of Appeal, that Kensington Primary breached the constitutional rights of a female student who was denied access in 2018 after failing to trim her dreadlocked hair.

 

Mr. Jacobs said students may present with all kinds of hairstyles, challenging school administrators' flexibility with rules, following the court's decision.

 

But Minister Williams argues that schools have become more accepting to the diversity that exists in the country.

 

She, however, says there must be balance in how students present themselves at school.

 

The minister adds that she does not anticipate additional challenges with grooming in the coming academic year. 

 

"Within the education system currently, there are students who attend schools with locks and they are okay. They are embraced. If you will recall last year, I made it known that no child should be required to wear covering on their hair if they have locks. And the schools that have been doing that, they've stopped requiring it. So we're not expecting that we're going to have a major issue come September because where we are as a society today, there is a full embrace of our culture, our hair, our African heritage and so on," she reasoned. 

 

Mrs. Williams said through the grooming policy, the ministry will ensure student's rights are upheld. 

 

"In the framework, we will emphasize our natural hair and the embrace that we should have of that. Obviously, and I would have said this many, many times to parents, to please send their children to school with simple hairstyles. So there's a balance and we will continue with that message to all our parents and our schools."