Pupils sent home over hair
Learners and their parents were spotted on Monday morning roaming around Ompunda village looking for barbershops, saying that the Otala Combined School principal, Kanisius Sheyanale, had sent home everyone who had turned up at school without fresh haircuts.
Otala Combined School is in the Onamutai education circuit in the Oshana Region.
The school on Monday introduced a new hair policy for all learners, boys and girls. However, parents say the new policy was not communicated to them and that is why their children ended up being sent home.
Parents who spoke to Namibian Sun acknowledged that their children had told them about the new rule on Friday. Some parents said they ignored the message because their children already had short hair.
“How is long hair preventing learners from studying? He was supposed to communicate to us in writing. On Friday our children came home and told us that long hair was no longer allowed at school, starting Monday. The timing was very short for us to prepare everything, and now we see them returned home,” said a parent.
Namibian Sun spotted some learners, who claimed to be from distant villages, cutting each otwher's hair along the Ondangwa-Oshikango road during school hours.
They claimed that they did not cut their hair over the weekend because they thought their hair was short enough.
“This morning the headmaster visited each class, grade 1 to 10, removing all the learners who had not cut their hair, sending them home.
“We were not told the required hair length and that is why some of us did not cut our hair. We decided to cut our hair with our stationery scissors so that we can go back to school – our homes are very far,” said one learner.
Parents also complained that the principal was charging each learner at his school N$25 for hiring a security guard, and N$20 for school meals.
“We thought school feeding was free. Learners here are charged school feeding money and security money every trimester. If we fail to give them money, he sends them back home until we give the money. Some of us have more than one child at school and it is expensive for us,” one parent complained.
When approached for comment, Sheyanale said the learners and parents who complained were not from his school.
“The parents and learners you show are not from here. All our learners are in classes and parents were informed of the school's new haircut policy in a meeting three weeks ago. Maybe you met the wrong parents with the wrong learners. I do not want to comment on wrong information from wrong people,” Sheyanale said.
ILENI NANDJATO
Otala Combined School is in the Onamutai education circuit in the Oshana Region.
The school on Monday introduced a new hair policy for all learners, boys and girls. However, parents say the new policy was not communicated to them and that is why their children ended up being sent home.
Parents who spoke to Namibian Sun acknowledged that their children had told them about the new rule on Friday. Some parents said they ignored the message because their children already had short hair.
“How is long hair preventing learners from studying? He was supposed to communicate to us in writing. On Friday our children came home and told us that long hair was no longer allowed at school, starting Monday. The timing was very short for us to prepare everything, and now we see them returned home,” said a parent.
Namibian Sun spotted some learners, who claimed to be from distant villages, cutting each otwher's hair along the Ondangwa-Oshikango road during school hours.
They claimed that they did not cut their hair over the weekend because they thought their hair was short enough.
“This morning the headmaster visited each class, grade 1 to 10, removing all the learners who had not cut their hair, sending them home.
“We were not told the required hair length and that is why some of us did not cut our hair. We decided to cut our hair with our stationery scissors so that we can go back to school – our homes are very far,” said one learner.
Parents also complained that the principal was charging each learner at his school N$25 for hiring a security guard, and N$20 for school meals.
“We thought school feeding was free. Learners here are charged school feeding money and security money every trimester. If we fail to give them money, he sends them back home until we give the money. Some of us have more than one child at school and it is expensive for us,” one parent complained.
When approached for comment, Sheyanale said the learners and parents who complained were not from his school.
“The parents and learners you show are not from here. All our learners are in classes and parents were informed of the school's new haircut policy in a meeting three weeks ago. Maybe you met the wrong parents with the wrong learners. I do not want to comment on wrong information from wrong people,” Sheyanale said.
ILENI NANDJATO
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article