The Keralam child rights panel has announced that boys and children who do not identify with a specific gender are permitted to grow their hair freely. This directive emphasizes that schools must not discriminate against or penalize these students based on hair length. The ruling aims to promote inclusivity and respect for individual choices among children in educational environments.
The panel noted that it had not found any specific guidelines issued by the state Education department or the CBSE on the matter.
School authorities should not mentally harass boys or transgender children, remove them from classes, discriminate against them or subject them to other punitive measures over hair length or related matters, the commission said. School authorities should give greater priority to students’ academic progress and personality development rather than their external appearance, it said. The other was filed by the principal of a private school in Kottakkal, who said an 11th-standard boy had repeatedly refused to cut his hair despite being asked to do so. The principal sought guidelines on how schools should deal with such cases, according to the statement.
New Guidelines to Include Gender Diverse Voices in Education
The directive has been issued for the immediate preparation of guidelines that will include boys and children who do not identify with a specific gender. These individuals are to be part of the committee responsible for drafting the guidelines. Their perspectives will be considered before the guidelines are finalized and distributed to schools.
