It’s a debate that educationists have not come to a conclusive agreement about. Some say there is a link between keeping long hair at school and academic performance, while others argue that there is no link whatsoever.

In the past, it was a taboo to go to school with hair slightly an inch longer for girls. In fact if a learner had hair that was more than an inch long, she or he was not allowed into the school.

Schools which prohibit learners from keeping their hair long while in school, argue that it is time wasting and costly, which affects performance and mutual respect between students and teachers.

For instance, a few months ago, it was reported that a student at a school in Kanombe refused to go to school until her father provided money for plaiting hair after seeing the other girls in the school with treated hair. The father succumbed to pressure and gave her money to treat and maintain her hair.

Experts say lack of uniformity is what causes such unnecessary demands by learners, arguing that restricting long hair is a necessity in schools.

"Keeping uniformity helps the students to feel like one family despite the different backgrounds. If you have some students with treated long hair while others can’t afford the same, it will cause segregation among the learners and subsequently you will get such scenarios like the Kanombe parent,” says a senior teacher in a city school.

Schools in Rwanda have restrictions on long hair especially in the public schools. But the situation is different; in private and international schools- girls come to school with long hair in all shapes and styles.

Moses Katufu, a teacher of Entrepreneurship at King David Academy, says long hair is allowed in the school but it should not be tinted. And for boys weird hairstyles are not allowed.

The school principal, Annet Batamuriza, echoes Katufu’s views, but points out that tinted hair is forbidden for girls.

"Much as good hair enhances the pride of women, we don’t allow tinted hair at school,” says Batamuriza.

Students need to adhere to school regulations.

Most parents and educators have argued that the culture of hairstyles in schools should receive some kind of regulation.

At King David Academy, for instance, boys who report to school with long hair have their heads shaved.

"Boys should keep their hair trimmed to at least 2 inches long, otherwise those who report with long hair are punished to serve as examples to the rest,” adds Katufu.

In extreme circumstances, some schools will chose to suspend students until they shave their heads.

But Simon Ntwari, a parent in Kimihura, considers regulating students’ hairstyles inappropriate and a waste of valuable time.

"Hair should not be a big deal as long as the student has put on the appropriate school uniform. I don’t think hair should be a distraction in school whether for boys or girls,” says the father of two.

Georgina Mukeshimana, a parent in Remera, however thinks regulation of hairstyles should be left at the discretion of school authorities.

"But once you become complacent with all hairstyles, students will bring everything to school. Students should be made to understand that rules are there and have to be followed,” she asserts.

For Thomas Mugarura, a parent in Nyamirambo, hairstyles should be the last thing for schools to worry about.

"I really don’t understand why schools do not put efforts on better practices of teaching and learning instead of non issues like hairstyles. We pay for the hair and that should only be a concern on our side,” he explains, wondering how hair is connected to academic performance.

No room for bad hairstyles

Most schools have regulations in place.

At GS Kimisagara, for instance, only hairstyles deemed decent are allowed for both boys and girls.

"Girls can puff their hair, but haircuts for boys should only be those that don’t raise attention within the school,” says Telesphore Muhawenimana, a teacher at the school.

He adds that students have to ensure proper hygiene for their hair not to spread infections.

"All hair whether puffed or not has to remain neat and tidy because poor hygiene could be dangerous to other students,” he adds.

At St Patrick School in Kicukiro, being found with poor hairstyles will earn the offender a punishment.

"If you insist on bringing bad hair to school, we can ask your parents to intervene. In case that fails we identify appropriate punishments,” explains, Claudine Gwiza, a teacher at the school.

Because of liberty on hairstyles, some students tend to take advantage to make ‘weird’ hairstyles similar to those of their favourite celebrities.

Augustine Gatera, the director, unit of languages and humanities in the curriculum and pedagogical material department at Rwanda Education Board says that such behavior should not be allowed.

"Most of the funny hair styles students want are those copied from western artistes and film stars. In our society that is totally inappropriate,” says Gatera.

He therefore calls for strict guidelines to ensure that students don’t derail from the right path just for the sake of looking like superstars.

"Much as we don’t want to infringe on the rights of our children, we have to be careful not to promote a generation of untouchables. We must go back to our cultural codes of dressing,” he adds.

According to William Wasswa, the dean of students at ESSA Nyarugunga, hairstyles are not bad for girls but students misuse this liberty to demand money from their parents for styling hair.

"Most parents cannot afford such huge sums yet the only thing that makes students happy is just plaiting the hair,” says Wasswa.

Wasswa also points out that the demand for luxurious hairstyles is contributing to the exodus of students from government schools that do not allow plaiting of hair.

"Students pester their parents to switch schools only for the purpose of styling hair,” he adds.

The controversial debate issue of long hair versus performance is not isolated to Rwanda. In 2005, the BBC reported that schoolgirls in Togo had been sent home to have their heads shaved because teachers claimed they wasted too much time playing with their hair. The decision which was backed by the country’s education ministry became a big topic of discussion, with opinions deeply divided. While critics and students accused the schools of acting overzealously and failing to tackle the real problem of underachievement, enthusiasts supported the move saying long hair was one of the reasons the girls performance was rating far lower than that of boys.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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What trends should be prohibited in schools and why?

Claudine Uwamahoro, a parent

Female students should not be allowed to paint their nails or wear studs. I particulary appeal to private schools to introduce strict rules so that students concentrate more on studies rather than on things that won’t add value to their academics.

Jane Musabyemariya, a teacher from Kinyinya sector

It depends on the rules and regulations for the schools. However, trends such as carrying cellphones normally negatively affect the academic performance of students. So I think it would be better if schools did away with them as a means of improving academic performance.

Guido Kayinamura, a student at Easter’s Aid School

Habits such applying make-up, especially by girls, should not be allowed in school. This is because such students are always perceived negatively by their male counterparts, especially in a mixed school setting. This, to some extent can affect the learning environment negatively.

Emmanuel Muramashyaka, S4 student

Male students should not be allowed to shave different hairstyles. These can be a source of distraction among students because they have a unique hairstyle. Those who can’t afford the same style will feel inferior and try hard to get money to do the same, which can lead to bad habits like stealing.

Elyse Gasana, S1 student at Apaper Complex

I believe carrying cell phones to school should not be allowed for whatever reasons. First, students will not concentrate in class as they will be busy on their phones, but secondly, students carrying expensive phones may disrespect the teachers.

Compiled By Lydia Atieno.