The standard haircut policy for most schools and universities in the Philippines is 2 x 3 or better known as “barber’s cut”. To give you a clear picture, the hair is cut two inches shaved on the sides, and three inches shaved on the back. Some schools that implement such policy are Aquinas School, St. Andrew’s School, and Don Bosco Technical Institute. Like every other policy, haircut policy applies to a certain category of people; males only. By regularly having a haircut, the students keep in mind that they have something to accomplish at a certain time every month.
That is the disciple that the school administrators emphasize. In my opinion, the 2 x 3 haircut policy is not necessary for implementation in schools because it has no effect or contribution to a student’s learning. “The barber’s cut looks neat and clean, according to the administration of the schools that implement the policy. It makes the student look decent and respectable. Fine young men are how male students with such hair style are treated. It’s quite hygienic as well because the possibility of messing up the hair through over-styling is removed.
It is also easy to groom this hair style, so it saves students time. ” In schools, where we are taught right Christian values, ironically is the same place where being judgmental is inevitable. Just because one has longer hair than the prescribed, it doesn’t make him any less of a person. One can also look neat and presentable by sporting a hairstyle without resorting to this “white side wall” cut. Take for instance the hairstyle of local celebrity, Robi Domingo. He managed to graduate with flying colors in Ateneo de Manila University!
Pardon my ignorance, but I cannot understand what is so time consuming with styling male’s hairstyle when you can only finger combed a shorter hair? Isn’t styling ladies long shoulder length hair, more tedious than male’s ear-line hairstyle? How come the policy only applies to male then? Everyone wants to look good. I certainly want to look good. But by sporting a barber’s cut, how can I? Other people aren’t comfortable with it either. Also, there are other ways to discipline students other than the implementation of this haircut policy. Perhaps an even stricter policy on cleanliness would be more accepted by everybody.
Additionally, either having hair cut short or growing it long won’t have any effect on a student’s learning in school. So, why do we need to abide by such rule? It’s everybody’s right to choose how he or she should look. Forcing a student to look different from how he would like to, has a considerable effect on his confidence and self-esteem, which can then affect his performance in school. Lack of self-esteem can cause depression, and depression hinders performance. It is a shallow reason to show unsatisfactory performance in school just because of the lack of self-esteem due to barber’s cut.
Schools should probably change it to a policy that gives them freedom regarding hair styles but mirrors the parameters of decency together with it. As long as the student looks decent and neat with the hair style he prefers, it should be allowed. Wouldn’t it be fairer if we have freedom on how we want to look? We have our own preferences on how we want to look. All of us want to appear the best we can, because it shows that you care for yourself. It’s a way to express who we are, and we shouldn’t be hindered from showing others our individuality.
