Thai school apologises after student punishment fails to make the cut

A secondary school in Thailand has apologised after it faced backlash for giving a student a bad haircut as a disciplinary measure.

The staff involved has been given a formal warning, and the school will be reviewing its disciplinary practices.

Narivooth School, a private all-girls institution in Ratchaburi province, came under fire after a social media post criticised the haircut given as punishment for not adhering to its rules.

In a photo accompanying the post, the student’s hair seems mangled and visibly uneven after the haircut.

Her hair reaches the middle of her back on one side, and in another, it appears to be at waist length. The middle part of her hair appears to be below the shoulder.

Ordinary scissors were used, said the post.

The incident garnered outrage online, with some netizens saying the school was too traditional and strict.

Comments such as “what right do you have to do this, this is really not okay” were posted, while others urged parents of the student to make a police report.

Thailand

overturned its strict rules on students’ hairstyles in March 2025

, a practice that was in place for more than 50 years. It has since been left to individual schools to decide on their grooming standards.

Narivooth School addressed its apology to the student, her parents and all concerned parties. It thanked the public for the feedback, saying the criticism would help guide improvements in the future.