Tamil Nadu: School teachers get a dressing-down

Coimbatore: A month into the new academic year, the Tamil Nadu Directorate of School Education has advised teachers to turn up in classrooms wearing “dignified” dresses. In a circular dated June 29, the Directorate has asked District and Chief Educational Officers to instruct principals of government and all recognised private schools to ensure that teachers do not wear “indecent” attire against “our cultural ethos”.

Arguing that uniforms were prescribed for students to eliminate any discrimination among them, the circular said it was the duty of the teachers to ensure that they served as role models and guides to these students by dressing appropriately. “It is of utmost importance that the attire worn by teachers must be consistent with the dignity of their post and in tune with our cultural ethos and civilisation. It is extremely regrettable that in recent times it has been brought to the Directorate’s notice that the advisory on appropriate dressing is being violated,” the circular said.

The Directorate felt that there was a need for teachers to avoid dressing in a manner that would affect the students and also spread dissatisfaction among the public. It was paramount for teachers to ensure that their profession did not attract an “iota of stigma”. The circular, however, did not prescribe a dress code for teachers.

The Tamil Nadu government has advised teachers to turn up in classrooms wearing \'dignified\' dresses.

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