Dreadlocked St Mary’s RC student still out of school

TODAY WILL BE three weeks since a grade one pupil of the St Mary’s Roman Catholic School has been out of school because of her dreadlocks.

Checks by SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday informed that the child was still out of school, and that there was no information on when she would be returning or enrolling at another school. The six-year-old girl was first barred from school on the first day of Term 2, on January 7.

The mother had relayed in an interview with SEARCHLIGHT on January 9 that the headteacher of St Mary’s had given her an ultimatum to cut or cover her child’s hair, as it is against the school rules for Rastafarians to come to school without covering their dreadlocks.

The mother of the child stated that neither she, nor her child is a Rastafarian, and that her daughter’s hair was styled in dreadlocks this year to control outbreaks of severe eczema.

However, the school was not willing to accept this. But after the mother spoke to two Catholic priests, Father Mike and Father Peters, she says she was told that if she were to get a letter from a doctor, as she said she would do, then they may consider it.

A close friend of the child’s family, who is also a teacher, has publicly commented on the matter. According to her, even after the mother of the child persisted in asking to be allowed to bring a medical letter for admittance of the child, “They have what they asked for now, but yet the child is still not in school.”

She goes on to say, “I thought that by now the Ministry of Education would have remembered their role in education here in St Vincent and the Grenadines and resolved this matter but it’s week 3… week 3, and this young child is still not in school.”

The family friend also stated that the Ministry of Education keeps sending the matter back to the St Mary’s RC School, “in an attempt to run from the issue.”

The Ministry of Education has remained silent on the matter up to press time, and SEARCHLIGHT was unable to reach the Permanent Secretary, Myccle Burke for an update. Last week, Burke had indicated that the Ministry was seeking legal opinion on the matter from the Attorney General.