During the night of Thursday, April 16, through a publication on social networks, the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukelereaffirmed the importance of maintaining strict disciplinary measures in the schools of the Central American nation, after implementing a new prohibition of certain haircut styles.
“What must be done leaves no room for hesitation,” Bukele wrote in response to a publication mentioning that El Salvador banned in the country’s public schools the haircut known on digital platforms as “Edgar”a style of bowl with fringe rectum, as part of the restoration of the discipline.
According to what was stated by the Salvadoran president, these decisions that the Government of El Salvador has promoted in the nation’s educational system are to strengthen discipline and order in school classrooms. However, the restriction on students’ haircuts has been one of the most criticized.
This is because the norm, implemented in all Salvadoran public schools since December 2025presumably part of a broader policy aimed at restore discipline among students, but it has been interpreted in the territory of El Salvador as a way of trying militarize to the students.
The right haircut in El Salvador
The new memorandum from the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, asks the directors of Salvadoran public schools to verify that all students have a “haircut” appropriate“, but does not specify parametersso the measure has generated confusion about the most popular hairstyles. popular currently.
In this situation, all male students must wear the cut known as “clear french”very short and neat, so that the scalp is more visible. This traditional and disciplined masculine hairstyle is characterized by being quite short on the sides and the napeand for leaving the upper part slightly longer.
Under the circumstances, men are prohibited from flashy styles with stripes or bows. This is because the most popular haircuts in El Salvador, which are supposedly ideal for adding a urban touch and artistic, have come to be directly associated with the gangs of the country, such as the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).
“This way we avoid interpretations. The student knows what is expected of him and so do the parents,” he stressed. Javier Hernandezpresident of the Association of Private Schools of El Salvador, who mentioned that, on the other hand, all women They must maintain natural hair, without colored dyes, highlights or discolorations, at Bukele’s request.
The cuts affect academic performance
According to the Administration of President Nayib Bukele, the personal presentation of the students directly affects about academic performance and school coexistence, for which the Salvadoran president considers very It is important that an orderly appearance be maintained, even though the measure has been refuted in the nation.
For her part, the Minister of Education of El Salvador, the military Karla Edith Triguerosconsiders that the obligation to wear short and well-combed hair can help recover fundamental values and the I respect to the school authority, given that the styles striking and inappropriate in the educational environment can lead to rebellion.
What must be done leaves no room for hesitation. https://t.co/F1s3tEtWRt
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) April 16, 2026