Algeria: Ministry of Education bans make-up in schools

The Algerian Ministry of Education devised a number of new disciplinary measures on December 13th affecting secondary schools. Memorandum 786 was sent to school principals in all 48 provinces, ordering them to ban pupils from wearing make-up and extravagant clothing on school premises.

The department of education warned that it will not tolerate any infringements of the new policy.

The memorandum is unequivocal: girls can no longer come to school wearing make-up or clothing deemed indecent. The memorandum will also oblige pupils of both sexes to wear smocks, as soon as the ministry finishes drafting the policy. Administrative staff and students are expected to comply with the policy as soon as they return from winter holidays next Saturday (January 3rd).

The decisions have sparked heated debate in Algeria between supporters and opponents.

In the wake of the controversy stirred up by the policy, Education Minister Aboubekeur Benbouzid explained that his department is merely enforcing the provisions of the law on educational guidance, and that he by no means is trying to restrict pupils' freedoms. Benbouzid also added, "In future, girls and boys will have to wear aprons of colours to be decided on by the ministry."

The president of the National Parents' Union prefers moderation. When interviewed by Magharebia, Mr. Mebarki Boualem said that "we should have moderation in all things. It's true that schools are places of education. … Of course abuses are to be condemned. Children who are well-mannered have nothing to fear. They are safe from the temptation to engage in excesses."

Saleha, a French teacher in a coeducational secondary school in Algiers, took a less relaxed view and strongly approved of the new measure. She told Magharebia, "I've been in education for over twenty years. … I must say that the current generation is very different. They behave as if they were much older. … I don't think you should come to school wearing make-up or extravagant clothes. Schools aren't catwalks. The same goes for boys. I think it was high time the ministry did something about it."

Most parents believe the memorandum is justified. Mustapha, the father of secondary school students Amel and Ramy, commented, "Girls come to school made up like adults. Others dress in very provocative ways. When I see them, I wonder whether they're coming to school to learn or for some other reason. When I heard that the ministry had decided to put an end to this situation, I welcomed the news."

Some parents, however, do not fully agree with the move. Naima, the mother of a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl, stated, "By banning make-up and what it calls extravagant clothing, the Ministry of Education is sending out a message that you should judge a book by its cover. I don't think you can judge people by what they wear. I let my daughter dress the way she wants to. She wears a little make-up. That doesn't mean she has bad habits; I keep a careful eye on her. She's an excellent pupil."

Despite the criticism, the Ministry of Education plans to fully enforce the new measures.

By Hayam El Hadi for Magharebia in Algiers