As parents, my husband and I have never emphasized on the importance of looks, we hardly tell our daughters that they look beautiful because we don’t want to place too much focus on appearance that can lead to body confidence issues later in life.
We only praise them for the good deeds they have done and on how beautiful their heart can be rather than how gorgeous a dress would make them look.
As our eldest daughter embarks into her schooling life, primary one this year, like most excited mommies and daddies, my husband and I have kept ourselves equipped and ready to send her off to experience one of the most crucial phase of her life, like since a year ago.
We (my husband and I) patted each other on the back; proud that we ‘survived’ sending our firstborn to school and that we have done something purposeful in our lives.
Until I saw a sign outside of the school gate that got me all concerned over the values that we have instilled in our children.
The sign at the entrance of the school boldly state the prohibitions and dress code of visitors that come to the school. Aside from the no skimpy clothes and no earrings for men, the thing that made me cringed the most would be the no brown hair or blond/blonde policy.
For a school like my daughter’s, in a small neighbourhood in the city, where racial composition is imbalanced and Malays being the racial majority, I can understand the move to prohibit indecent and skimpy dressing.
But I just can’t fathom the need to prohibit someone especially visitors for their choice in hair colour.
Why is there so much emphasis on the appearance of an ‘outsider’ or a visitor? Can the choice of hair colour really be a distraction or offensive to students that it affect their attention in class?
I have brown hair with blonde streaks; does this mean I am prohibited to get in the compound of the school? I guess not because I have been in and out of that school almost every other day. It seems that the school is not strict with their very own rules and regulations.
And if so, why have it in the first place? Why go all the way and put it on the board in front of the entrance for all visitors to see?
And what if I were to be born a Caucasian, a natural blonde? Can I claim that the school is racist for being anti-blonde?
As a tax-paying woman who has great expectations and hopes unto the education system of this country, not for anything, but only for the bright future of our children, like the rest of the parents, everywhere in the world, I would strongly suggest that all schools to carefully analyze the impact of conveying any message in any form at all, before conveying them, especially when it comes to messages that can easily be used as a product of segregation not just between races but humans as a whole.
Linawati Adnan
Sat Jan 23 2016
Can the choice of hair colour really be a distraction or offensive to students that it affect their attention in class? - File pic
10 Berita Pilihan - (01 Mei 2024)
Antara pelbagai berita dalam dan luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Rabu, 1 Mei 2024.
Program Soal Jawab Perdana Menteri
Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim akan mengulas pelbagai perkara termasuk pengumuman Hari Pekerja serta isu-isu semasa yang mendepani rakyat dan negara.
#MalaysiaMADANI #AWANInews
#MalaysiaMADANI #AWANInews
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Terima anugerah Reader's Digest buat kali kelima, Ahmad Zahid ucap tahniah kepada Kemas
Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi mengucapkan tahniah kepada Jabatan Kemajuan Masyarakat (Kemas) yang meraih Anugerah Jenama Paling Dipercayai buat kali kelima bagi kategori Pu
AIM menang Anugerah Industri Kewangan Islam Global
AIM memenangi anugerah Islamic Finance News apabila dinobat IFN Best Islamic Microfinance Institution, serta menerima dua anugerah di bawah Global Good Governance Awards (3G).
Keprihatinan Allahyarham Khalid Ali terhadap pasukan negara hingga hujung nyawa
Keprihatinan dan cinta legenda bola sepak negara Allahyarham Khalid Ali terhadap pasukan negara dibuktikan apabila masih membicarakan tentang perkara itu pada hujung hayatnya.
Ancaman bom palsu cetus panik di 100 sekolah di India
Ancaman bom palsu telah mencetuskan panik di sekolah di ibu negara India pada pagi Rabu dengan ibu bapa bergegas membawa pulang anak-anak mereka.
Pulau Pinang akan bincang, teliti kenaikan gaji penjawat awam negeri - Chow
Kerajaan Pulau Pinang akan membincangkan mengenai kenaikan gaji penjawat awam di negeri itu pada Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri akan datang, menurut Ketua Menteri Chow Kon Yeow.
Lawatan kerja PM bina keyakinan bagi syarikat Malaysia terlibat dalam projek besar di Arab Saudi
Kejayaan lawatan kerja Anwar ke Riyadh, Arab Saudi, baru-baru ini, membina keyakinan untuk syarikat Malaysia diberi peluang terlibat dalam projek-projek besar di negara tersebut.
MFLS ganti BTN, PLKN, fasa pertama mulai Jun - Syed Saddiq
Jelasnya, ketika ini program yang menggantikan Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN) dan Biro Tata Negara (BTN) itu berada dalam peringkat 80 peratus siap sebelum dilancarkan pada April.
Najib tukar gambar graduasi tahun 1974 sebagai 'profile picture' di Facebook
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak mengemukakan bukti bergambar bahawa beliau adalah graduan Universiti Nottingham, England dengan memuat naik gambar profil di Facebook yang diambil semasa tahun 1974 .
'Itu kerja lelaki. Ini kerja perempuan'. Siapa boleh ubah persepsi ini?
Seorang bapa yang mempunyai anak perempuan boleh mengubah persepsi tradisional mengenai peranan lelaki dan wanita dan tanggungjawab masing-masing.
Dua biarawati songlap ASD500,000 untuk berjudi di Las Vegas
Mereka bagaimanapun bernasib baik kerana pihak gereja tidak akan mengemukakan pendakwaan setelah kedua-dua mereka mengaku bertaubat.
Suspek Florida setuju mengaku bersalah jika boleh elak hukuman mati
Suspek tembakan rambang di Florida yang menembak mati 17 pelajar sekolah minggu lepas sanggup mengaku bersalah jika dia tidak dikenakan hukuman mati.
Tembakan di Marshall County High School, 2 pelajar terbunuh
Suspek ialah seorang pelajar sekolah itu yang berusia 15 tahun.
Vans pilih Pa'din Musa sebagai inspirasi kasut signature
Ia direalisasikan apabila jenama antarabangsa Vans mengeluarkan kasut signature Vans Pa'din Musa.