Teachers aged under 50 in Tajikistan can no longer grow beards but are allowed to give their lessons in rain boots, according to new government guidelines.
“Men over 50 are allowed to have beards no more than three centimeters long, while younger men should be clean shaven,” according to a copy of an education ministry decree widely reported by state-run newspapers.
“As for footwear, it can be anything that fully covers the foot, including galoshes,” it added.
With thousands of people living on the breadline and the country struggling to rebuild, the government says the rules are part of educational reforms and that they meet “the mentality and customs of the people.”
Long beards are often greeted with suspicion by the government, which fought a bloody civil war against Islamist forces in the 1990s that left tens of thousands dead and the economy in ruins.
Galoshes, a waterproof overshoe made of rubber, are popular among farmers in the rural countryside and viewed as a necessary protection from the rain that frequently pelts the mountainous state. (AFP)
塔吉克共和國新出爐的政府管理要點明定,五十歲以下的教師禁止蓄鬍,但可以穿著雨靴授課。
塔吉克官方報紙大幅報導教育部政令中的一則消息:「五十歲以上的男士可以蓄鬍,但不得超過三公分長,而年輕男士則必須把鬍子刮乾淨。」
規定中還提到:「至於鞋類,只要是完全包覆腳掌的鞋子都可以,包括雨靴。」
在數以千計的民眾靠政府救濟過活,國家也正努力重建的情況下,塔吉克政府表示,這些規定是教育改革的一部分,也符合「人民的思想和習俗」。
塔吉克政府常將蓄長鬍的民眾當作可疑份子。塔吉克在一九九0年代和回教軍隊陷入一場腥風血雨的內戰,造成數萬人喪生及國內經濟崩解。
防水的橡膠套鞋相當受到農村農夫的喜愛,在塔吉克這個多山且時常下傾盆大雨的國家,更被視為生活必需品。
(法新社╱翻譯:袁星塵)
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