It is a rite of passage for teenage boys - the often ridiculed appearance of a first moustache.

But when Akaash Iqbal, 14, came into school with a slightly hairy upper lip it turned out to be no laughing matter.

He was sent home and told not to return unless he shaves it off. But he and his family say the school is overreacting over a ‘bit of fluff’ and refuse to remove it.

Akaash has now missed nearly two weeks of schooling and last night his parents accused the school of jeopardising his education.

His father Asif Mahmood, 42, said: ‘It’s a nonsense. He’s not shaving - he’s only 14 and if he starts now he’ll have to do it for the rest of his life.

‘They told us the moustache was not part of the uniform. I thought it was a joke at first.

‘It is only a bit of fluff - you could hardly call it a moustache but he is just a child and shouldn’t have to shave this young.

‘They should make it a girls’ school. I’m honestly staggered by it.

‘I had a call telling me to have a razor on standby, shave Akaash when he got home and send him back.’

He added: ‘I wasn’t going to do that. He’s just a growing boy. He’d end up with stubble all over his face by the time he’s 16.’

Mr Mahmood said his son is still at home and he is due to meet school officials soon to discuss the matter.

The incident happened at Manchester Academy in Moss Side, Manchester. The charity-run school has a uniform policy that even staff are expected to comply with.

Akaash, of nearby Fallowfield, is a Muslim, so unlike Sikhs he has no religious reason to avoid shaving.

However, the teenager says he does not want to start shaving regularly at his age as it will ruin his skin.

He said all his schoolmates are supportive and have vowed not to shave if they are targeted by the teachers.

The schoolboy, who is due to take his GCSEs next year, said: ‘They’ve embarrassed me and they’ve embarrassed my family. I was walking down the corridor to registration and one of the teachers took me into a room.

‘I was made to stay there for an hour. They then told me that my moustache was against the uniform rules and told me to go home and shave it.

‘I’m not shaving it at my age. It will ruin my face. I’ve got a GCSE to sit and am taking the rest of them next year but I can’t go to school. It’s just not nice. I feel left out.’

A spokesman for Manchester Academy, which has more than 700 pupils, said it was a standard requirement that all children are clean shaven.

She said: ‘We do not believe it is appropriate to comment on individual students within the Academy.

‘The Academy has established rules on personal appearance and dress which students are expected to adhere to.’

Source

I’d show up to school the next day totally bald in protest if I was him. Just try and let them complain. Nothing about it in the documents, I’ll bet.

If he got a copy of the school’s regs, then he knows the rule about being clean shaven.  And the school isn’t jeopardizing his education, he and his family are.  Shaving now isn’t going to ruin his skin, and yes, he’ll have to shave for the rest of his life, unless he decides later on to grow a mustache.  Not a big deal.

I doubt there’s a written list of hair you’re allowed to have. When I was at school, the asian guys seemed to develop moustaches first, then the black guys, and lastly the white guys.

I can’t imagine why the school’s all up in arms about it. It’s not like it’s going to be a marvellous Poirot moustache. It’ll be a bit of fluffy hair.

Crafty Dragon - 03 July 2009 11:49 AM

If he got a copy of the school’s regs, then he knows the rule about being clean shaven.  And the school isn’t jeopardizing his education, he and his family are.  Shaving now isn’t going to ruin his skin, and yes, he’ll have to shave for the rest of his life, unless he decides later on to grow a mustache.  Not a big deal.

Nope, shaving does not enhance the growing properties of the hair, hair is dead, remember? The only thing that can happen that _might_ increase hairgrowth is the moving motion on the skin, ‘massaging’ the upper lip.

Right now I’d think he could just use a product like ‘Nair’ that women use on their legs….or bleach it.  I don’t think I’d want my 14 year old son using a razer though at so young an age. 

I also can’t imagine how or why having early facial hair would even be part of any regulations.  But if it is then:

1.  females with unshaved legs are against dress code
2.  Girls with hairy armpits are against dress code
3.  pimples are against dress regulations if other facial properties are against dress code as well
4.  make up is against dress code (perhaps it is there)
5.  perfume or toilet water OR deodorant of any kind is against dress code

I’ve also seen lots of dark haired girls that sport lip fuzz at this age as well…......................shall they be asked to go home and shave it off?

Since he’s Asian, I’d think a bleached blond mustache might be even more obvious!

Who knows Madmouse, he might just start a fad!

Heh, that’d really piss off the school!

I agree with crafty. If the rules clearly state that both the teachers and the students cannot have a mustache, then he should have to shave it. It’s a private school, so if they want to have strict facial hair rules, that’s their choice and it’s his parent’s choice to send him to a different school if this becomes a problem. It may only be a bit fuzzy-ish, but from the picture it clearly looks mustache-y. The idea that starting shaving at 14 will increase hair growth is a bunch of BS, not to mention that 14 really isn’t too young to use a razor. I started shaving my legs at 11 years old, and other than a couple nicks I was perfectly fine.

Jerry S - 03 July 2009 02:50 PM

Crafty Dragon - 03 July 2009 11:49 AM

If he got a copy of the school’s regs, then he knows the rule about being clean shaven.  And the school isn’t jeopardizing his education, he and his family are.  Shaving now isn’t going to ruin his skin, and yes, he’ll have to shave for the rest of his life, unless he decides later on to grow a mustache.  Not a big deal.

Nope, shaving does not enhance the growing properties of the hair, hair is dead, remember? The only thing that can happen that _might_ increase hairgrowth is the moving motion on the skin, ‘massaging’ the upper lip.

What I meant was that unless he wants a mustache, then he’ll have to shave.  Just like every other adult who wants to remove unwanted hair.

Crafty Dragon - 03 July 2009 11:49 AM

If he got a copy of the school’s regs, then he knows the rule about being clean shaven.  And the school isn’t jeopardizing his education, he and his family are.  Shaving now isn’t going to ruin his skin, and yes, he’ll have to shave for the rest of his life, unless he decides later on to grow a mustache.  Not a big deal.

He’s 14. He probably has the same amount of facial hair as the white kids but due to his ethnicity it’s more noticeable.

The school has no right to dictate when he should start shaving. I wonder if they have a similar rule about girls shaving their legs and armpits. I doubt it.