Teen struggles to come to terms with Nakuru school rule requiring girls to shave their heads
A barber in Nakuru city shaves a student at his barbershop ahead of back to school on January 5, 2024.
A 16-year-old student transferred to a day school in Nakuru County from Nyeri, due to health conditions, found herself in the strict grip of her new school rules.
The excitement of joining a new school turned to shock when she discovered the unexpected school tradition of every student needing to shave their hair, a stark contrast to her previous school’s policy.
Speaking to Mtaa Wangu, Beatrice Muthoni, the cousin says, “My cousin faced an unexpected challenge when she moved, and she had no other option but to adhere to the new school rule of shaving her hair.”
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Ms Muthoni who has been her cousin’s guardian for six years says she spent three days convincing the cousin to comply and embrace the change.
The student’s mother left the country in search of greener pastures in another nation.
Ms Muthoni states, “Since the day she got the admission letter and saw that a clean shave was a requirement, my cousin could hardly talk to anyone nor eat.”
Ms Muthoni discloses that for the three days, they had to have a heart to heart conversation with her cousin, as she had to navigate through her fears, assuring her that hair grows back with time.
Ms Muthoni concludes, “After a long fight, since the school fees were already paid, she reluctantly had to face the razor and shave for the first time.”
We hope Muthoni’s cousin comes to the realization that India Arie had when she sang, ‘I am not my hair.’
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