Gyeonggi Will Liberalize Students Hair, Dress Code
By Oh Young-jin
Staff Reporter
Students in Gyeonggi Province will be allowed to decide on the style and length of their hair starting next year.
They will also be allowed to choose their own clothing, while corporal punishment by teachers will be banned. After-school intramural "supplementary" classes will also no longer be compulsory.
This in-school liberalization package was announced by the province's maverick educator, Kim Sang-gon, Thursday.
Officials at the Ministry of Education said they would watch Kim's new experiment with a dose of skepticism, while education boards of other local entities are also paying attention.
"We are keeping a tab on it," an official said, without disclosing whether the ministry was upset at Kim's move, which does not comply with the policies of other education boards that are seen as conservative in relation to students' dress code and after-school classes.
The Gyeonggi Province Board of Education said the latest steps ― in the form of a decree awaiting the approval of the province's council for implementation ― were aimed at restoring students' rights. Kim, the province's top educator, has received the backing of progressive students recently for refusing to punish "politically minded" teachers, who criticized the Lee Myung-bak administration's education policy.
The package will also lift a ban on the possession and use of mobile phones by students in school, and enable them to pick and choose religious classes.
"Education on students' human rights will be strengthened," Kim said, adding that an ombudsman will be introduced, while a committee with the mission of protecting students' rights will be set up.
However, Kim's experiment is facing opposition by some schools in his jurisdiction, with some principals commenting that the liberalization steps will make it harder to control students.