Thai school apologises after student's ‘punishment haircut' sparks outcry

Independent

a day ago

A girls' school in Thailand has apologised after facing backlash for reportedly punishing a student with an uneven haircut for breaking grooming rules.
Photos of the botched cut, done with ordinary scissors meant for cutting paper, went viral, sparking public outrage over what many labelled 'outdated' disciplinary practices.
The staff responsible has received a formal warning and the Narivooth School, a private all-girls institution in Ban Pong district in Ratchaburi province, said it will reassess its disciplinary measures.
Until Thailand 's Supreme Administrative Court overturned a decades-old rule in March, public schools in Thailand were required to enforce rigid hairstyle regulations – cropped cuts for boys and shoulder-length hair for girls.
Since the ruling, individual schools have been granted the authority to set their own grooming policies.
A photo shared on 15 July on a Facebook group called 'All Ban Pong news' showed the student's hair crudely hacked – jagged and uneven in length. One side fell to her waist, another stopped mid-back, while the centre hung awkwardly below her shoulders.
'Is this really acceptable behaviour from the school?' the caption on the Facebook post read. 'Even if there are rules, students have feelings, too. There should be a better way to solve the problem. It's not right to just grab a student and cut their hair like this.'
Two days after the post went viral, Narivooth School took to Facebook to issue a public apology. The school expressed 'sincere apologies to the student, her parents, and all concerned parties' and acknowledged the public's anger and discomfort over the incident.
'We value the rights and dignity of every student,' the statement read.
The post, however, invited more scrutiny. One Facebook user wrote: 'What right do you have to do this? This is really not okay.'
Others called on the student's parents to file a police complaint against the school.
The school said it would revise its disciplinary approach by adopting 'more appropriate and age-sensitive methods' that align with 'educational principles and respect for human rights '.
Despite a growing push for student rights, forced haircuts remain a disciplinary tactic in many Thai schools, according to The Thaiger.
A 2022 survey revealed that nearly three-quarters of respondents – 74 per cent – reported the continued use of haircutting as punishment.
The practice has sparked repeated public backlash. In one incident in 2022, a student at a secondary school in Nakhon Ratchasima province covertly filmed a teacher shaving uneven bald patches into the hair of ten male classmates.
The video, once online, drew swift condemnation, with many netizens denouncing the act as degrading and a clear breach of children's rights.
In 2023, a viral video emerged showing a teacher in northern Phetchabun province cutting the hair of more than 100 students as punishment for violating grooming rules.