Gov’t frees headscarf for students, bans make-up, tattoos and piercings

ANKARA

Girls will be allowed to wear headscarves in schools starting from the fifth grade. CİHAN photo

A government decree changing the regulation on the dress code in public schools was published Sept. 27 in the Official Gazette, allowing girls as young as 10 year old attend classes wearing headscarves.According to the regulation, the students will not be allowed to wear make-up or have tattoos or piercings.Students “are to be present in schools with their faces visible; cannot use scarves, berets, hats, bags or similar materials that carry political symbols, pictures or writings; cannot dye hair, cannot have tattoos or make-up; cannot have piercings; cannot have moustache or beard,” the new regulation published in the Official Gazette read.The regulation stated that students in pre-school institutions and primary schools cannot wear headscarves.The government announced last week that it would lift the ban for children starting from grade five, which normally corresponds to the age of 10 in Turkey.Following the government’s move, Eğitim-Bir-Sen, an education sector trade union with conservative views, has demanded the abolition of mixed-sex education, while also calling for freedom in the dress code as part of a reaction against the compulsory wearing of ties for men.