@McFlybowy The fact that they've done it in the past doesn't necessarily mean it'll happen again... As a City fan, I'm only hopeful that they manage to pull this off this season too 🙏
Let’s me try, although these are just a few points,hopefully it can cover some.
1. I was forced to cut my hair when I came to Ghana, and yes, it was traumatic. I didn’t understand how that had any effect on my learning.
For years I carried shame about something as natural as my hair.
Interestingly, in secondary school, some of my close friends, who were black with a British passport were allowed to keep their hair.
What that taught me was that choice was reserved for the privileged.
2. If a student is maintaining their natural hair, it’s actually one of the easiest and cheapest hairstyles to manage.
A simple ponytail, cornrows, or twists can last weeks.
Even locs are easier to care for.
And if a salon visit is needed, the same exeat used to go cut hair can be used for that too.
We can have reasonable guidelines, how often hair is styled, what forms are allowed , instead of a blanket rule that strips identity. Also, short hair can still be maintained as a CHOICE.
3. The fact that something has been practiced for years doesn’t mean it still serves its purpose. Times change. Understanding evolves. Education systems should too.
4. Challenging a rule doesn’t mean saying students should do whatever they like. It means asking if the rule is reasonable, relevant, and fair.
A progressive society must evolve,, but we can’t, if we insist on clinging to outdated rules that were never truly ours to begin with.
What’s more disappointing is that the Minister could have used this as an opportunity to discuss the practicalities,how to help students manage natural hair in schools. Instead, he reduced Afro hair, our natural, God-given hair, to something tied to just vanity.
That alone sets a tone for how young girls view themselves, and it follows us into adulthood. There’s a reason why women spends millions in expensive wigs.
This is about identity, not hair.