The record
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- The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has ruled that schools cannot penalise students over hair length.
- The order said boys and children who do not identify with a specific gender are free to grow their hair as they choose and must not face discrimination, removal from classes, or mental harassment at school.
- The commission allowed safety-related conditions, such as tying hair during laboratory work and sports, and required hair to be kept clean and not cover the eyes or face.
- The order came on two petitions, one from a Kottakkal school principal seeking guidelines after an 11th-standard boy refused repeated requests to cut his hair, and another alleging schools treated boys with long hair like offenders.
- The panel found no existing guidelines from the state Education department or the CBSE and asked for gender-inclusive rules to be framed urgently, with a compliance report due within 45 days.
What to watch next
- Guidelines to be framed by the state Education department or CBSE on hair length and dress rules for schools.
- The 45-day report on action taken by the respondents on the commission's recommendations.
- How schools in Kerala implement the order in cases where boys refuse to cut their hair.
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Named India · Kerala · Indu Menon · Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights · P Shajesh Bhaskar
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