Educational Decree

Various Educational Decrees displayed outside the Great Hall

Educational Decrees were laws created by the British Ministry of Magic to set or modify standards at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

History

During the 1995–1996 school year, the Ministry were no longer impressed by the standards at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under the headship of Albus Dumbledore, because they thought he was lying about Lord Voldemort's return.

Spearheaded by Dolores Umbridge, they created new educational decrees to suppress and outlaw behaviour of which the Ministry did not approve, some of which would outright expel the students found to be in transgression of. In truth, however, they were just an excuse to strip Dumbledore of his headship of the school and give it to Umbridge. Minerva McGonagall was shown to strongly dislike them, as when Umbridge pulled out a new decree, she exclaimed "Not another one!" Educational decrees were even used to control the teachers and limited the help they were able to give to their students, including giving no advice on anything that was not connected to their subject. When Harry created Dumbledore's Army, she eventually created Educational Decree Number 24. These educational decrees were abolished when Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter proved Lord Voldemort's return.

Known Educational Decrees

Educational Decree Number Twenty-Three
(Dolores Umbridge as Hogwarts High Inquisitor)

Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four
(all student clubs disbanded)

Educational Decree Number Twenty-Seven
(The Quibbler banned)

Educational Decree Number Twenty-Eight
(Dolores Umbridge as Head of Hogwarts)

• Educational Decree Number Twenty-Two (gave the Ministry the power to appoint professors if the Headmaster was unable to find anyone suitable)
• Educational Decree Number Twenty-Five (High Inquisitor in charge of punishments)
• Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six (forbade the teachers from giving any information not related to subjects they were hired to teach)
• Educational Decree Number Twenty-Nine (corporal punishment, never actually passed)

Behind the scenes

The destruction of all the Educational Decrees

• In the book, the Ministry only created twenty-eight Educational Decrees (and the twenty-ninth pending). However, in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry created at least one-hundred and thirty-six Decrees, and posted them on the wall outside the Great Hall; by the end of the year, they nearly covered the entire wall. Most of these Decrees were placed to reinforce ridiculous rules that suit Umbridge's sadistic, intrusive, and old-fashioned nature. Among the known decrees were:
  • Educational Decree Number One (punished students found in possession of a spell check quill)
  • Educational Decree Number Nine (expelled students found in possession of sweets from "unauthorised suppliers")
  • Educational Decree Number Twelve (allowed Hogwarts to be subject to informal scrutiny by an approved Ministry member, essentially a precursor to Educational Decree Number Twenty-Three)
  • Educational Decree Number Twenty-Three (the only canonically-numbered Educational Decree in the film; created the post of High Inquisitor and nominated Dolores Umbridge for the post)
  • Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four (forbade the playing of music during study hours)
  • Educational Decree Number Twenty-Five (forbade students from broom flight, the exception being authorised Quidditch practice)
  • Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six (forbade boys and girls from being within six inches of each other)
  • Educational Decree Number Twenty-Nine (gave Umbridge the power to review all extra-curricular activities)
  • Educational Decree Number Thirty (prohibited joke products made by Fred and George Weasley)
  • Educational Decree Number Thirty-One (forbade boys and girls from being within eight inches of each other)
  • Educational Decree Number Thirty-Five (banned items that were not of educational value)
  • Educational Decree Number Thirty-Seven (boys to keeps their hands outside their cloaks)
  • Educational Decree Number Thirty-Eight (banishment of all non-educational toys and games, more or less redundant of Decree Number Thirty-Five)
  • Educational Decree Number Thirty-Nine (confiscation of wands)
  • Educational Decree Number Forty-One (banned students from discussing "the upsetting events of last year")
  • Educational Decree Number Forty-Five (proper dress and decorum)
  • Educational Decree Number Forty-Six (banned from Hogwarts all literature written by non-wizards or half-breeds)
  • Educational Decree Number Forty-Seven (required students to consent to allow their owl post to be checked for illegal contraband)
  • Educational Decree Number Forty-Eight (required any complaints about Hogwarts or its staff to be made in writing to the High Inquisitor)
  • Educational Decree Number Forty-Nine (cancelled Quidditch Matches)
  • Educational Decree Number Sixty-Seven (forbade exploding bonbons to explode)
  • Educational Decree Number Sixty-Eight (the book's Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four)
  • Educational Decree Number Seventy-Four (made the tagging of students' owls mandatory)
  • Educational Decree Number Seventy-Five (confined pets to common rooms and dormitories and owls to the owlery)
  • Educational Decree Number Seventy-Six (the book's Educational Decree Number Twenty-Seven)
  • Educational Decree Number Seventy-Seven (the book's Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six)
  • Educational Decree Number Eighty-One (forbade Red Howlers)
  • Educational Decree Number Eighty-Two (forced the students to submit to questioning about "suspected illicit activities")
  • Educational Decree Number Eighty-Five
  • Educational Decree Number Ninety-Eight (established the Inquisitorial Squad)
  • Educational Decree Number Ninety-Nine (forbade the usage of magic to change the students' physical appearance)
  • Educational Decree Number One-Hundred and Nine (punished students who cast prohibited spells)
  • Educational Decree Number One-Hundred and Nineteen (the book's Educational Decree Number Twenty-Eight)
  • Educational Decree Number One-Hundred and Twenty-Seven (had something to do with teachers being dismissed, possibly related to the book's Educational Decree Number Twenty-Two)
  • Educational Decree Number One-Hundred and Twenty-Eight (forbade the existence of any student organisation not approved by the High Inquisitor; essentially a recycle of the earlier Educational Decree Number Sixty-Eight)
  • Educational Decree Number One-Hundred and Twenty-Nine (imposed restrictions on the usage of the school library and common rooms)
  • Educational Decree Number One-Hundred and Thirty-Three (gave Umbridge the power to confiscate any unauthorised book from students)
  • Educational Decree Number One-Hundred and Thirty-Six (encouraged students be forthcoming regarding suspicious or outlawed activities)
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when Fred and George Weasley fled from school after releasing a torrent of enchanted fireworks, one of them took the form of a dragon and destroyed all of the Educational Decrees hanging on the walls while chasing Umbridge, causing them all to shatter and fall down, much to the cheers of the students.
• In the handheld versions of the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix video game, the numerous Educational Decrees are visible outside the Great Hall for the entire game, even at the beginning of the term before any of them should have been passed.
• The introduction of these Decrees was subject to the approval of a board of jurists known as the Very Important Members of Section M.I. Trx.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
• Pottermore (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter (website) (Mentioned only)
• The Making of Harry Potter
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (Appears in the spell book)