Impact of Trauma on Female Students at SMKN 2 Garut Whose Hair Was Cut by a Teacher

National Coordinator of the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI), Ubaid Matraji, has revealed the traumatic effects that will be experienced by 18 female students at SMKN 2 Garut whose hair was cut by a rogue teacher. “The trauma experienced by these students could impact their learning motivation and mental health,” Ubaid told Kompas.com on Thursday (7/5/2026). Ubaid stated that many schools downplay psychological impacts under the pretext that “it’s just hair, it will grow back anyway.” “This is misguided thinking,” he said. “Skipping all stages and going straight to ‘playing with scissors’ is a primitive action in the modern world of education,” he added. Therefore, Ubaid emphasised that teachers should not hide behind the word discipline and turn schools into barracks. “Education humanises humans, it does not diminish human dignity,” he stressed. Several parents of the students firmly rejected the school’s apology after their children suffered deep trauma due to the forced hair-cutting action by the rogue teacher on Thursday (30/4/2026). Without prior communication, the rogue teacher conducted a raid on coloured hair while carrying scissors, even targeting female students whose hair was covered by a hijab. The parents’ legal representative, Asep Muhidin, revealed that the school’s actions are considered to have exceeded the boundaries of educational ethics.