Education Bureau steps in after students wait in rain for uniform and hair checks
Hong Kong education authorities have reminded a school to consider the needs of students when enforcing rules after many were forced to wait in a long line outside the campus in the rain to have their uniforms and hair checked on the first day of the new academic year. The Education Bureau also made a similar call to another school, where students deemed to have failed with hair grooming rules…
The Hong Kong Education Bureau has intervened after two schools faced scrutiny for enforcing strict rules on student uniforms and hair grooming during the first day of the new academic year. At Kowloon Tong School, students had to stand outside in the rain for long periods while their uniforms and hair were inspected. The principal, Teresa Hon Pui-yee, defended the inspections as a way to instill discipline and prepare students for a photo shoot. However, the Education Bureau advised schools to consider students' needs when enforcing rules.
At Kowloon's Tang King Po School, a more extreme approach was reportedly taken. Posts on social media suggested that students failing to meet the grooming standards were required to stay on campus until they could inform their parents. About 300 students allegedly spent time in the school hall, calling their parents before being allowed to leave.
The school reportedly enforced strict rules, such as hair not covering eyebrows or ears and not touching the collar at the back. The Education Bureau contacted Tang King Po School and reminded it to balance discipline with respect for students' self-esteem, right to education, individual differences, and health. Schools should develop rules through communication with stakeholders to ensure understanding and consensus, according to the bureau.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
