A school in Nyeri has suspended 10 students for having tattoos on different parts of their bodies.
According to a report by Nairobi News, the administration of St Mary’s Boys Secondary School suspended the said students after discovering they have artistic drawings on their bodies.
Speaking to the media, one of the suspended students said the school management said it would only allow them back to school after they remove the tattoos.
“We were suspended from school for having tattoos and told to go home and only return after removing them,” the student said.
He added that he got his tattoo after completing his primary education because he loved art and drawing.
The decision by the school to kick out the students irked parents who called out the administration for being unfair. A section of them argue that the drawings do not affect the performance of the students, hence the suspension is not justified.
However, there are some parents who feel the drawings do not go well with the learning environment and African culture, particularly for young ones.
According to a 2013 report by Naija Log, more than 20 girls of Fomena T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School in the Ashanti region of Ghana were sent home by the school authorities for having tattoos.
Some of the girls, according to Headmistress Zainab Adams, had their tattoos painted on their pubis while others etched them on their waist, buttocks, breasts, shoulders and other parts.
The female boarding students were sent home with the consent of their parents over the matter. It was agreed that they would only be re-admitted after they had removed the tattoos.
The school has allegedly refused to comment on the suspension.
