Finally, the efforts of PS Alsha, the 12th standard student from Kasaragod who fought against the rule in schools that girls should compulsorily plait their hair, have paid off.

The Kerala Directorate of Higher Secondary Education and the Directorate of Vocational Higher Secondary Education have issued an order stating that girl students should not be compelled to plait their hair in higher secondary schools.

But the order also says that the head of educational institutions can insist that students keep their hair tidy.

Following a complaint filed by Alsha on August 22 with the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR), KSCPCR had said that insisting on plaiting the hair is a child rights violation.

The school girl from Cheemeni in Kerala’s Kasargod district had approached KSCPCR pointing out why this particular rule in schools is bad.

Here are five reasons the girl had listed then that seem to have convinced the Commission as well as Education department:

 1. Plaiting wet hair caused bad odour along with other problems like lice-infestation and scalp problems.

 2. Apart from plaiting being time-consuming, girls sometimes had to take their parents’ help to tie their hair every morning.

 3. Hairs split on a daily basis when they are plaited.

 4. It forced children to skip having showers in the morning, and this was causing hygiene and health problems.

 5. The rule enforced gender discrimination.