Why must girls wear skirts at schools?

SOME high school somewhere is insisting that girls continue wearing skirts only, never pants, to avoid expulsion.

Here we go again with these ageold, colonial-imposed traditions. Pupils must wear uniforms. Boys in high school must wear pants.

Girls in any school – secondary or primary – must wear skirts. It’s a biblical injunction.

It’s found that any girl wearing pants in school just quietly goes about her studies, her interaction with other pupils – male and female – is very relaxed, she does not feel intimidated, and is treated as an equal, feeling very secure that boys are not ogling her body, not having evil (but normal) intentions.

But heavens! All that is not permitted. You are a girl. Lowest of the low. Your fault that the chromosome count at your conception decided your fate. Learn to live with it.

Boys will be boys. Didn’t you hear? So girls must be girls and make certain that everybody at school is aware of it.

Never mind that your male class teacher is checking the length of your skirt with a measuring tape to make sure that you are not breaking the mandatory “not too short” rule. And while doing that, snigger and have some fun.

Girls! Hands up those of you feeling cold in this October summer when temperatures are sitting at 19°C at 8am at assembly?

Sorry. Not our fault global warming is doing that and oddly keeping you females in the cold. You were born to suffer.

EBRAHIM ESSA | Durban