Iran Teachers’ Union Condemns Video of Student Haircut Incident
Following the release of a video showing the cutting of hair of male students whose hair exceeded a certain length, Iran’s Teachers’ Union described the behavior as “ugly and abhorrent” in a statement and condemned it.
The Iran Teachers’ Union (Tehran) on Thursday, April 25 (April 14) condemned the controversial act of cutting the hair of male students whose hair was reportedly “longer than a certain limit” and described it as “uncivilized and inhumane treatment of students.”
The release of video footage containing images of this incident sparked widespread reactions across society in the virtual space.
The Teachers’ Union described the protection of students’ rights as children in the educational environment as among “fundamental principles of human rights” and emphasized that “according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, any form of psychological, physical, and personal harm constitutes a clear violation of human rights.”
The Union called for serious action against the offending individual and noted that the root cause of such incidents should be sought in the defective structure of Iran’s education system, and without transformation in such a structure, such cases will continue to occur in the future.
Shargh Newspaper, Tehran edition, considered the student haircut incident to be “an offshoot of schools reopening after coronavirus closures.” The newspaper described the controversial video of school personnel cutting male students’ hair as “inappropriate.”
Sadiq Setari, spokesman for the Ministry of Education, responded on his Twitter page, writing: “The individual’s conduct toward students violates administrative or professional conduct and will be dealt with through the administrative violations committee according to the punishments and penalties prescribed by law.”
The shaving of portions of boys’ hair in Iranian schools as punishment was very common in the 1970s and 1980s, and many students from that era experienced this practice.
The first consequence of such conduct is the normalization of humiliating and mocking approaches among children, while according to schools’ implementation regulations, there is no law providing for shaving a male student’s hair as punishment.
Source: DW
