A Thai teacher is under investigation for punishing more than 100 students by cutting their hair during the morning assembly on Tuesday (Feb 7).
Thailand's Education Minister Trinuch Thienthong has instructed state agencies to launch a probe into the teacher and his director from a school in the Bung Sam Phan district in north-central Thailand, the Bangkok Post reported on Thursday.
A video of the incident was posted by Bad Student, a Facebook group that champions the rights of students. The male teacher was seen cutting the students' hair haphazardly with a pair of scissors.
Photos on Twitter also show piles of hair left behind on the assembly ground.
"What right do you have to cut someone else's hair? Are you a teacher? Seriously, how did you end up being a teacher?" a user kalay_lay01 asked on Twitter.
Ms Trinuch said using haircut as a punishment is inappropriate and will not be tolerated. She added that the ministry already lifted regulations on hairstyle for both male and females in 2020.
The pair will face disciplinary action if their actions are proven wrong, she added.
In 2020, the Bangkok Post reported about a Thai mother who lashed out at teachers from Yang Chum Noi Phitthayakhom School in Si Sa Ket province for cutting her daughter's hair in front of her schoolmates to punish her for not observing the hair length rule.
The mother said the school should have talked to her about it first instead of humiliating her daughter.
Following this incident, the education ministry relaxed the rules to allow both male and female students to wear their hair long or short.
For male students, the length of the sides and back must not extend beyond the back of the neck, while female students with long hair must have it tied up.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
