No churidars for teachers: department

The School Education Department has turned down a request made on behalf of women teachers in government schools for permission to wear churidars.

The department’s stand has been made known in response to a representation sent to the Chief Minister’s Special Cell by P. Muthukrishnan of Parvathipuram in Musiri taluk requesting the government to allow women teachers wear churidars considering the comfort factor and the freedom exercised by women in all other government departments to wear it.

“Compulsion to wear sarees was not to the liking of women teachers who would desire to wear churidars if given an option since the dress covers their entire body,” Mr. Muthukrishnan said in the representation sent to the CM’s Special Cell under the Online Petition Filing and Monitoring System.

‘Policy matter’

Replying to the representation, the Director of School Education rejected the request on the grounds that dress code being a policy matter of the government, there was no scope to change the norms.

Department sources said no specific request had been made so far by women teachers themselves for permission to wear churidars.

There was, however, no restriction on women teachers wearing churidars in matriculation schools though an overwhelming majority of teachers preferred to wear sarees, an official said.

Source:http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/no-churidars-for-teachers-department/article19513341.ece