Thailand high school students took part in the country’s rising anti-government protests by wearing white ribbons, publicly hacking off their hair and making “Hunger Games” salutes in their schools.
The high school students followed the footsteps of their seniors from universities who have been staging weeks of high-profile campus protests for democracy.
“They are trying to instill in us that we are only the little people in an authoritarian society,” 17-year old Peka Loetparisanyu said.
Thai high school students have dubbed being the“Bad Student” character depicted in a book by written by university student activist Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal about his experiences in high school titled “A Bad Student in an Excellent Education System.”
Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan earlier this year bowed to demands by students to relax the rules that prescribe specific hair length and styles for male and female students.
In Thailand’s education system, students are expected to be unquestioning of authority, stand during the royal anthem that is played at morning assemblies, and follow the uniform and deportment rules strictly.
Critics say the school system is aimed at compliance more than education.