Unfortunate and regrettable, is how Education Minister Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly described the situation at this year’s Graduation Ceremony for Trinity College, Moka, in which some students were not allowed to accept their certificate alongside their classmates for having long hair- against the school’s rules.
Minister Gadsby-Dolly says while there’s need for a conversation on the standardization of rules governing how students are allowed to style their hair, in this case the rules were communicated to parents and students ahead of the graduation ceremony.
“From the accounts received, the rules of the school relevant to the required dress code for the Graduation Ceremony were reiterated to both students and parents. Therefore, it seems clear that those who did not conform were, or should have been aware of their breach,” the Minister said in a post to her personal Facebook page on Wednesday.
She added: “However, the question of the suitability of the Graduation Ceremony as a forum to enforce the rules of a school, from which students were actively graduating, is a valid one. Regardless of one’s emotional and visceral response to this issue, it is a fact that societal order depends on rule-keeping, and that is a critical facet of the education schools are meant to impart. No matter how non-conformist one’s outlook, we all follow some rule or the other- for example, driving on the authorized side of the road. Therefore, the practice of adherence to school rules is important, and where there are divergent views, dialogue, rather than open confrontation, should be encouraged; especially in a school setting.”
“The time for this conversation in Trinidad and Tobago has come, and decisions will be taken for implementation in the upcoming Academic Year, based on the Ministry of Education’s discussions with our valued stakeholders,” she said.
