The Ministry of Educational Transformation will be reviewing the National Grooming Policy following public concerns about student appearance.
Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw recalled yesterday the policy was revised two years ago during the post-COVID-19 period when many boys had grown and styled their hair differently during school closures.
“During that time, several of our boys grew their hair out. They used to have their hair plaited and so on,” she said.
“There was a need for us to relook the grooming policy at that time.”
Archer-Bradshaw was speaking ahead of a meeting with student council representatives at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
The 2023 National Grooming Policy was developed through extensive consultation with various stakeholders, including religious leaders, students, parents, principals, teachers and union representatives. It was specifically designed to avoid discrimination against students with natural hair, including boys with longer natural hairstyles.
“What was said very clearly in the policy was that there was a need for all children to be neat and tidy,” Archer-Bradshaw said.
“So, yes, we allowed the boys to wear their hair long. They could have their hair plaited in corn row, or they could have Rastafarians who can have their hair open, without tams.”
However, complaints from the public regarding student appearance have prompted the need for further consultation. She said the ministry must “fully understand whether it (the complaints) is linked to the colonial ties” or whether “persons don’t have an appreciation for black hair, and what does neat and tidy mean in a modern, Barbadian context”.
Minister of Educational Transformation Senator Chad Blackman said traditional grooming standards had been framed by colonial perspectives.
“A lot of our grooming and deportment has been wrongly based on a very
colonial frame. As we move forward as a country that is independent and a republic, a country that is confident in its own skin, we have to now define for ourselves what is the best mode of dress in business, in school,” he said.
God-given hair
“We should not penalise naturally what God has given to us. If our hair grows a certain way, then it should grow a certain way because neat does not mean European,” he said.
While affirming that the ministry would not revert to previous restrictive policies, Blackman called on parents to ensure their children maintained appropriate standards of appearance.
“If you’re sending your child to school, you have a duty to ensure that your child or your ward leaves home in [a manner] that is tidy, that they carry the highest level of deportment.”
He noted that proper grooming extends beyond hairstyles to include overall appearance, such as tucked-in shirts and polished shoes. He said while students now have “liberty to be yourself”, school “is not a fashion show” or “about coming to school looking untidy”.
Blackman also announced plans to produce videos to guide parents through educational transformation efforts, including proper deportment standards. He acknowledged the challenge in defining universal standards.
“Tidy to you might be untidy to another and vice versa. There has to be a middle ground that Barbados settles on,” he said.
(DDS)
