When Education Starts Sexualizing Girls: The School Tablia in Morocco
Every morning before school, 16-year-old Youssra begins the same routine. On her way to school, both young and older men are drawn to her because she is wearing the tablia, a girl’s school uniform in Morocco, because they know she is underage. When she reaches the school gate, the guard scans her from head to toe, making sure she is wearing it properly. In winter, she has to wear the tablia over her jacket to prove that she has it on. Once inside, teachers will not allow her into class if it is not worn correctly. This is the reality for millions of teenage girls in Morocco every morning.
For Youssra, the tablia is no longer just a school uniform. "The educational system in Morocco made us believe that wearing the tablia makes you feel safer and more confident because it hides your body parts, which is very sexist. It also affects our confidence on so many levels," she said.
Moreover, Youssra recalls that an Islamic education teacher told her that if girls do not wear the tablia, they would be seen in a bad way. "If your classmates don't judge you, teachers will," she remembers being told. Islamic education is one of the most important subjects taught to students in North Africa from a young age. It introduces them to the religion of Islam, its teachings, rules, stories and moral values.
This shows us that the core of the problem comes from teachers themselves. Instead of educating boys about respect, they choose to put the whole responsibility on young girls.
Over the years, girls' school uniforms have been sexualized in schools. On the surface, the uniforms aim to create an equal image of students inside the system, but in reality, girls have started seeing these uniforms as a tool to hide their bodies in order to protect themselves from being sexualized by their classmates and teachers. We are choosing to let girls carry this responsibility, and an entire educational system is supporting this, instead of teaching boys respect and how to keep their pants and mouths closed.
In the history of North African school systems, a girl’s school uniform known as Tablia, a white or pink long coat worn over regular clothes as a school uniform, was initially made to represent equality and prevent clothes from getting dirty. But the way the system is treating it is completely different. Not only do they explicitly state that a woman should hide her body in Tablia to avoid being harassed, but they also fail to educate boys in schools about respecting girls’ freedom to dress however they choose.
Over time, the School Uniform Tablia went from a long coat shaped as a dress for girls, and a blouse for boys. In some areas where Tablia wasn't required, girls and boys would wear Djellaba, the traditional Moroccan dress that usually has a pointed hood called a qob, Commonly worn for Friday prayers, Eid, weddings, family gatherings and everyday wear by many Moroccans.
On the other hand, schools are saying that the uniform represents their identity and shows that whoever is wearing that uniform is still in school, which points to the fact that they’re underage. What many don’t realise is that this attracts pedophiles, for them Tablia claims that I can be your victim.
A 20-year-old journalism student said that wearing the tablia made her feel oppressed because only girls were required to wear it.
She felt it shamed girl’s bodies rather than promoted equality. She wore it oversized to avoid sexual comments and criticized the different standards for girls and boys.
She also recalled a school executive saying the tablia showed whether a girl was "ethical" and "honorable," which made her realize that, in many contexts, women are judged and protected based on what they wear rather than their humanity. He said “it is for protection, that it declares whether the girl is an ethical honorable girl worth defending if found in a hard social situation or not".
Tablia has also become the subject of debate on digital platfoms, including Reddit. Users agreed that Tablia is only used to hide girls bodies and is sexist.One user stated that "it always made me so mad to have to wear it and not boys…it's so disrespectful I find it demeaning and not fair!! It pushes people to think that girls should always cover themselves and not for boys to control themselves. Such a bad influence".
Another user said "I burned mine after I graduated and donated the rest of them".
An additional statement from a reddit user says "I never wore mine and had to explain to the principal every morning that as long as the boys weren't required to wear Tablia I wouldn't either. It did help that I used to wear baggy clothes but it shouldn't matter. At all."
This also shows us that not only Tablia is imposed on girls and makes them hide their bodies, but also some schools have double standards between girls and boys on this matter. They do not give as much importance and attention as they do for young girls, and this alone proves that Tablia was only made for other reasons rather than modesty and the school's image, as the educational system claims.
Mourad Alouan, an English teacher with five years of experience, shared a video online discussing the unequal enforcement of school dress codes. He expressed his anger over what he described as the unfair treatment girls experience, saying that dress codes are often enforced much more strictly for girls than for boys.
Drawing from his experience as a teacher, he recalled that at one school where he worked, administrators told girls to hide their developing bodies because they were viewed as “awra”, an Islamic term referring to the parts of the body that should be covered for reasons of modesty. He also said these policies can make girls feel responsible for others' behavior, leading to shame and lower self-esteem. While he supports school uniforms as a way to promote equality, he believes they should be enforced fairly for both girls and boys.
He also recalled another incident involving one of his students. “I remember a girl who was in my 9th grade class. She was very smart and excelled in my class. One morning, she came to school wearing a hoodie and jeans under her required Tabliya uniform.
The headmistress later called her into her office and told her to wear jellabas or abayas because male staff and classmates looked at her inappropriately, saying it was “disturbing” and “triggering.”
The girl later shared this experience with me when she opened up about the struggles she had faced throughout middle school. Thankfully, her parents were supportive. Whenever the school called to complain about her appearance, they told the administration to leave their daughter alone as long as she worked hard, and maintained her excellent grades.
With all that being said, girls should not feel discriminated against inside an institution that is supposed to protect them. If school uniforms are meant to promote equality and modesty, then the same rules should apply equally to everyone. When uniform policies begin to make girls feel uncomfortable, ashamed, or treated differently while pursuing their education, they no longer serve their intended purpose. Schools should ensure that all students are treated with fairness and respect, creating an environment where girls have the same rights, opportunities and dignity as boys.
About the author:
Yasmine Chaoui is a Moroccan-Ukrainian multilingual communicator and youth activist currently studying journalism in Morocco. Her work focuses on women’s empowerment, feminist leadership, climate action, technology, and youth engagement.
