Salvadoran Schools Enforce Dress Code After Military Captain Appointed Education Minister

Schools are required to ensure strict compliance with the guidelines, according to the directive.

Salvadorian students walk past signs indicating permitted and prohibited haircuts at the National Industrial Technical Institute in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Aug. 22, 2025. Marvin Recinos/AFP via Getty Images

A memo from El Salvador’s new education minister, Karla Trigueros, took effect on Aug. 20, requiring principals to check students’ appearance at school gates to enhance discipline.

Trigueros, a captain in the army, issued the memo just days after being sworn in as education minister on Aug. 15.