Rules important, and so is good sense
By Santokh Singh
January 28, 2007
YOU can say that it is splitting hairs, but that is precisely what
some school rules do, almost literally.
When I was discipline head in a school some 15 years ago, a
principal I worked with had a personal bias against the
'centre-parting' hairstyle.
It was associated with 'Ah Bengs' and did not fit the image of a
good school.
I pointed out that it would be one of the most difficult rules to
implement.
No problems with boys whose hair is long. But what about boys with
shorter hair that is parted right down the middle?
Well, the principal had his way and students, rightfully so, found
it ridiculous.
As discipline master, I was forced to deal with even the Head Boy
when he turned up with short, neat hair that naturally split down
the middle.
Do we need school rules at all, as some liberal-minded parents
might ask?
Of course, we do. A free-for-all school would be an impossible
environment for education to take place.
It's like living in a community with no laws. Survival of the
fittest. No recognition of different needs.
School rules play a crucial role in preparing a child for the adult
world.
But just like the application of the laws of the land - where a
fair trial is a must and punishment must fit the crime - a school
must be fair to its pupils.
So it's not wrong to ask if the school rules are logical,
reasonable and workable.
For example, there was an insistence on only white canvas shoes as
part of the uniform of the school I taught in.
For a boys' school with a bunch of active sportsmen, a very strong
and demanding Physical Education programme and some really heavy
kids going through the Trim and Fit (TAF) programme, it was
illogical to wear shoes that could damage their joints and
arches.
Track or cross-trainer shoes, which the majority in this school
could easily afford, were more reasonable.
Mercifully, an enlightened principal changed this rule.
So let's not be hard and fast about rules.
Yes, we need them to foster a conducive learning environment.
But let's exercise flexibility when a case truly merits it.
And review the rules when they serve only to enforce mindless
conformity.
