'Girls shouldn't have to wear skirts to school', say campaigners
Two school girls from County Fermanagh are campaigning for legislation to force schools to offer girls a choice between skirts and trousers. Rhea and Astrid successfully campaigned for Enniskillen Integrated Primary School to allow girls to wear trousers, and said it's "weird and unfair" that some schools still enforce skirts. They are taking their case to Stormont's education committee on Tuesday afternoon as part of a hearing into broad changes to school uniform law. Education Minister Paul Givan told BBC News NI the decision lies with individual schools and their boards of governors.
Some schools in Northern Ireland already allow girls to have a choice between trousers and skirts.Enniskillen Integrated Primary were prompted to change their policy after Rhea and Astrid contacted Dr Mairead Ryan, whose research outlined a relation between school uniforms and physical activity. In a letter to the school, Dr Ryan said: "Gendered uniforms can limit girls' movement and engagement in physical activities.""Uniform items like dresses and skirts can restrict certain movements and inhibit young girls from climbing, jumping, and participating in other forms of active play that are crucial for their development," she added.
'It felt wrong'
Rhea said: "I didn't really like being made to wear a skirt, it just felt wrong. It's 2025. "It's quite hard to run around without your skirt blowing up in the wind," she added. "All schools have the power to change it so if you have the power, then I think you probably should."Astrid said: "I think its important to have the choice for our privacy and for our comfort."It's weird that some schools don't give you the choice to wear trousers. It's a bit old school."
Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show, Education Minister, Paul Givan, said: "Whenever it comes to decisions should I then give the legal right for a child to say I'm going to wear a school tie or not."When challenged, he said "I'm widening it out, because it can't be taken in isolation between a trouser and a skirt."The committee hearing on Tuesday will examine wide ranging changes proposed to the law around school uniforms. It includes proposals to make school uniforms more affordable, and limiting the amount of branded items which parents and retailers have said drives up the cost.
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