St Andrew, Jamaica (McKoy’s Information) – The brand new educational yr acquired off to a heated begin at Calabar Excessive Faculty on Monday morning after no less than 34 college students had been refused entry to the establishment.
When reporters visited the Crimson Hills Street campus round 9:30 a.m., a number of boys had been seen standing exterior the gates within the blazing solar, whereas others milled round throughout the road, unable to attend lessons.
Requested why the children had been barred, Principal Sian Wilson gave a blunt response:
“They don’t seem to be prepared for varsity. You ask them why they’re on the market, ask them.”
A number of the locked-out boys, who stated that they had arrived earlier than 8:00 a.m., gave varied causes for being turned away. These included:
- Black hair dye
- Incorrect belt buckles
- Lacking buttons on khakis
- Tight-fitting pants
- Hair size violations
Regardless of questions, Wilson didn’t reply queries on the varsity’s gown code or verify whether or not dad and mom had been notified of their sons’ lockout.
The transfer has reignited debate, because the Ministry of Schooling has repeatedly spoken out in opposition to faculties barring college students from getting into compounds for gown code breaches.
In 2022, then-Schooling Minister Fayval Williams reminded faculties that:
“There shouldn’t be any locking out, by any means, of our college students from faculty. As soon as a pupil steps on the varsity compound, we act within the place of oldsters.”
As of press time, efforts to achieve present Schooling Minister Dr Dana Morris-Dixon had been unsuccessful.
The state of affairs has left dad and mom and college students annoyed, as questions swirl about self-discipline, rights, and the beginning of the brand new faculty yr.
