15-Year-Old Student Defends Her Right to an Education

A 15-year-old student imprisoned for lese majeste marched into a school that had denied her enrollment and demanded her right to an education while being escorted by police.

Thanalop “Yok” Phalancha, a grade 10 student entered Triam Udom Suksa Pattanakarn School in Bangkok without incident on Monday morning, despite the fact that policewomen were stationed outside to maintain order.

In defiance of school rules, she wore her trademark coloured hair and informal dress.

She maintained her entitlement to an education and disputed the school administration’s weekend assertion that her registration procedure was unfinished. She stated that the procedure was finished on May 16, and that she had previously paid her school tuition and had been studying there for a month.

She held hard in her right to colour her hair and wear clothes of her choosing instead of a school uniform, as well as to abstain from school rituals.

Thanalop said that her choice of hairdo and attire was a fundamental right, and that the rituals reflected authoritarianism.

However, she stated that she would accept to wear a student uniform if every other kid at her school did as well.

The adolescent said that the election-winning Move Forward Party was slow to support her cause. The party objected to school restrictions regarding student clothes and hairstyles, but only after she had crossed fences to enter her school for three days, she claimed.

On Sunday, the party issued a statement stating that all children have the right to an education regardless of their guardians’ status, and that this concept should equally apply in her situation.

Thanalop is no longer a student at Bangkok’s Triam Udom Suksa Pattanakarn School, which claims she did not complete the enrolling process.

After being charged with Lese Majeste, Royal Defamation, the 15-year-old was recently freed on bond from a juvenile jail centre in Nakhon Pathom.

Thanalop protested the student uniform and hairstyle regulations by showing up to school in casual clothes and with dyed hair last week. The school prevented her from attending class. She then climbed over the school fence three days in a row, determined to go to class.

The school published a statement on Saturday, signed by the principal, Jintana Srisarakham, stating that she was no longer a student there.

Thanalop, according to the statement, did not complete the enrollment process because her parents did not show up on enrollment day. It further stated that her behaviour at school posed a risk to the safety of other kids, faculty, parents, and school property.

Thanalop posted on her Facebook page on Sunday that she wanted to go to school but was denied admittance.

The standoff at the school was still going on, with Thanalop still on the premises.

Student uniform and hairstyle regulations in Thailand are as follows:

1. Uniform Regulations:
– Thai students typically wear uniforms to school. The uniforms usually consist of a white shirt or blouse paired with a skirt or pants. The specific design and colors of the uniform may vary depending on the school.
– Some schools may require students to wear a tie or a specific type of belt with the uniform.
– Students are generally expected to keep their uniforms clean and tidy while at school.

2. Hairstyle Regulations:
– Hairstyle regulations vary among different schools in Thailand, and there may not be a uniform policy across the country.
– In some schools, students are required to have short hair. Boys’ hair is expected to be neatly trimmed and should not cover the ears or touch the collar. Girls’ hair may be required to be tied up or kept short.
– Other schools may allow more flexibility with hairstyles, as long as they are considered neat and not excessively distracting.
– It is common for schools to prohibit extreme hairstyles, such as dyed hair in bright or unnatural colors, shaved patterns, or hairstyles that are deemed to be disruptive or attention-seeking.

It is important to note that regulations can vary from school to school, so it is best to check with the specific school or institution for their uniform and hairstyle guidelines. As my information is not up-to-date, it is recommended to consult the latest regulations in Thailand regarding student uniforms and hairstyles.