Skirts are out. Trousers are in.
Under new uniform rules taking effect in 2027, schoolgirls from age nine must wear trousers. Those who choose skirts must wear pants underneath. Loose shirts must cover the bottom and cannot be tucked in.
Boys, meanwhile, will be permitted to keep beards from Grade 9.
The policy has divided opinion. Critics accuse the government of policing girls’ bodies in a hot climate, but religious conservatives argue the changes uphold Islamic standards.
“No girl should be forced by the state into a level of coverage that is presented as the only ‘respectable’ way to exist in public,” one parent wrote to the education minister.
A sheikh pushed back: “The adequate level is what Allah has commanded.”
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