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| The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon speaks of his plan to abolish hairstyle regulations at middle and high schools, during a press conference at the SMOE building in Seoul, Thursday. /Yonhap |
By Kim Jae-heun
Middle and high school students in Seoul will be allowed to not only grow their hair as long as they want but also have their hair dyed or permed, as the regional education authority is moving to break hairstyle regulations at schools starting with the fall semester next year.
The move ends a decades-long debate about hairstyle control, which is a vestige of the Japanese imperial era and later dictatorial governments and has been criticized for infringing on students' human rights.
Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon said Thursday he is declaring the abolition of hair regulations at all schools in the capital.
"I have received many demands and complaints from students to free up the dress code and hair regulations. Choosing which hairstyle to adopt is a part of the right of self-determination and it should be guaranteed as a basic human right," Cho said during a press conference at his office.
Cho ordered schools to revise their hair regulations through open discussions among students, teachers and parents and adopt new rules for the fall semester next year.
He gave a "guideline" about the new rules, virtually pressuring schools to follow it _ abolishing control over the length of a student's hair, and giving students the freedom to color or curl their hair.
Forcing students to have short hair has been a long practice here, although the strict enforcement of the regulation has been decreasing.
In 2005, 92.6 percent of middle schools and 91.1 percent of high schools in the country had the strict hair code, according to the Ministry of Education. Some schools had scissors or hair clippers to cut students' hair if they did not follow the school rules.
According to SMOE, however, 597 out of 708 middle and high schools in Seoul, or 84.3 percent, were not regulating the length of students' hair as of last year. But 15 percent of the schools still ban students from growing their hair long and more schools restrict students from getting perms or dyeing their hair.
Such control is stricter among schools in provinces, as 39.5 percent of 200 schools nationwide controlled the length of students' hair and 88 percent banned students from curling or coloring their hair, according to separate data by a parents' group conducted in June and July.
Still, there are negative views on the "liberalization" of the hair code at schools.
Some teachers and parents are worried the liberty can turn into self-indulgence, which can result in difficulty controlling students at school.
Earlier this year when the National Council of Governors of Education attempted to revise the Education Act which states the hair and dress code, it faced opposition from the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, a conservative teachers' group.
SMOE also said it will provide a new guideline for schools to allow students to wear comfortable uniforms, with an aim to introduce such uniforms beginning with the spring semester of 2020.
SMOE's initiative began with the growing public opinion in support of changing school uniforms because uniforms for female students are too small and uncomfortable.
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