Saudi Gazette During the first few days of school, boys are being asked to line up during the morning assembly for teachers to inspect the length of their hair and fingernails, making them feel like they are enrolled in a military school. Any boy who is found guilty of having long hair is loudly reprimanded and ordered to get a haircut. School books were withheld from a student in one of the strict schools until he complied and cut his hair short. This rule applies to all male students, including children who are too young to understand the reasoning behind it and who think its unfair. “Why did my teacher get me in trouble for having long hair? I like my hair and I don't want to cut it,” whined Khaled, a seven-year old student of second grade who was very distressed. Khaled's mother was equally upset and she moved her son to a private school because she believes that the administration there would be more lenient and understanding. “I think at least the students in the younger grades should be free to wear their hair as they like. As long as the hair are kept clean, what is wrong with keeping them slightly long?,” said Khaled's mother. The sister of another little boy who was ordered to cut his hair short reported that her brother hid in the closet when his father was about to take him to the barber. When the family insisted that he had to cut his hair to go to school, he cried out, that he didn't want to get a haircut and neither did he want to go school. Ali Muhammad, principal of a school in Tabuk adopts a relaxed approach towards the length of his students' hair. “The Ministry of Education mandates that boys show up in school with a clean, tidy, and suitable appearance. The Ministry did not explicitly state that the student's hair must be closely scrutinized, as long as the student is clean and well
