Students in Durban still face outdated school hair policies that tell them their natural curls, coils and protective styles are “wrong” and need to be cut or changed. These rules send the message that a student’s hair is more important than their learning, identity and dignity.
I have been told my entire life to cut my hair because of my curls, and many other students hear the same thing. That kind of pressure is exhausting and unfair, especially when it comes from the very place that should protect young people and help them grow with confidence.
Fair hair rules matter because they affect our rights, our self-esteem and how safe we feel at school. When schools police natural hair, they can shame students, single them out in front of others, and create an environment where learners feel they must choose between belonging and being themselves. If nothing changes, these policies may keep teaching children that natural African hair is unacceptable.
The solution is simple: Durban schools should adopt clear, modern hair policies that allow natural hair, curls, braids, locs and other protective styles without discrimination, as long as students maintain basic cleanliness and safety. Schools should judge learners by conduct and effort, not by whether their hair fits an outdated idea of “proper” appearance.
We ask the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and Durban school governing bodies to review and rewrite school hair policies now, and to make sure every school in Durban has fair, non-discriminatory rules for students’ hair before the next school year begins. This change should start in Durban and set an example that can spread across South Africa.
Students should not have to fight for the right to wear their natural hair at school. A fair policy would protect dignity, reduce humiliation and make classrooms more inclusive for everyone.