Razors at the ready, boys. Photo: Getty Images

The Afghanistan-bordering country's education ministry has just ruled that male teachers under 50 cannot have beards, but it's totally cool to rock up to the classroom wearing galoshes, the AFP reports, citing several state-run newspaper reports.

According to the news service, men under 50 must be clean-shaven, while silver foxes are permitted to grow beards provided they are not longer than 1.2 inches.

In related news, the members of ZZ Top have just handed in their resignations.

Beards are considered suspicious in Tajikistan, the AFP reports, given the country's devastating civil war against Islamist forces.

The new dress code, designed to suit "the mentality and customs of the people" according to the education ministry's decree, is more lenient when it comes to footwear, so long as the shoe fully covers the foot, the AFP reports. That means rubber galoshes, frequently worn in this rainy climate, get the green light, says the news service.

We'd poke fun at the randomness of these rules, but maybe these folks are on to something. Any chance we can ban comb-overs and those icky high-waisted gym teacher shorts in our schools?

Galoshes may fly in Tajikistan, but read why Crocs are a big no-no on Yom Kippur.