Iranian Teachers' Union's Reaction to Video of Students Cutting Their Hair

Following the release of a film about the cutting of the hair of male students whose hair was longer than a certain limit, the Iranian Teachers' Union issued a statement calling the behavior "ugly and disgusting" and condemning it.

The Iranian Teachers' Union (Tehran) condemned on Thursday, April 14, the controversial act of cutting the hair of male students whose hair was said to be "longer than a certain limit," describing it as "uncultural and inhumane treatment of students."

The publication of a video containing images of this event on social media has sparked widespread reactions in society.

The Teachers' Union has called protecting students' rights as children in the educational environment one of the "fundamental principles of human rights" and emphasized that "based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, any psychological, physical, and personal harm is considered a specific example of a violation of human rights."

The association calls for serious action against the perpetrator and reminds that the main problem behind such incidents must be found in Iran's flawed educational structure, and without changes in such a structure, such cases will continue to occur in the future.

Tehran-based newspaper Shargh has described the cutting of students' hair as "a side effect of reopening schools after the coronavirus lockdown." The newspaper has described the controversial video of a school staff member cutting the hair of male students as "inappropriate."

Sadegh Sattari Fard, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education, reacted on his Twitter page, writing: "The behavior of the offender towards students is against administrative or professional ethics, which will be investigated through the Board for Handling Administrative Violations, Punishments, and Disciplinary Actions as stipulated in this law."

Shaving sections of boys' hair as punishment in Iranian schools was very common in the 1960s and 1970s, and many students from that era went through this experience.

The first consequence of such behavior is the normalization of humiliating and mocking approaches among children, while there is no law in the school regulations that prohibits shaving the hair of male students as punishment.

Source: DW