State mandates dress code for teachers

Teachers in the state will also be designated with a “Tr” before their names to “uphold the reverence associated with the teaching profession”, said education minister Deepak Kesarkar

Mumbai: The state education department on Friday issued a circular mandating a strict dress code for male and female teachers and prohibiting them from wearing jeans, t-shirts, shirts with graphic designs or other garments not in the list of approved attire. Teachers in the state will also be designated with a “Tr” before their names to “uphold the reverence associated with the teaching profession”, said education minister Deepak Kesarkar.

India, Mumbai...August 08, 2012... Sanjot ( Teacher ) teaching student at a school in Bandra, Mumbai, India on Wednesday, August 08, 2012... Photo by Kalpak pathak / Hindustan Times. (Hindustan Times)

The circular likens teachers with gurus who play a pivotal role in the academic and personal development of students. Noting that their attire is a reflection of their professionalism and authority, it mandates that female teachers must wear either sarees or salwar/ churidar with a kurta, while male teachers have been instructed to wear shirts and trousers. Schools have been given the freedom to choose the colour of shirts and trousers, provided shirts are light in colour and trousers have a dark colour.

Teachers’ associations and activists flayed the move. “The decision to force teachers to wear a uniform of a certain colour is incomprehensible. What exactly is the government going to achieve by making such cosmetic changes,” asked teacher-activist Bhausaheb Chaskar. He said though some Zilla Parishad schools had designated a uniform for teachers earlier, the decision was struck down when teachers’ unions filed an appeal in court. “Is the government going to a give washing allowance while forcing a uniform,” he asked.

Meanwhile, education Minister Deepak Kesarkar announced that henceforth, all teachers in the state would be designated with a “Tr” before their names, similar to how doctors prefixed their names with “Dr”.

“This decision, made in collaboration with the school education department, aims to instill a sense of professionalism among teachers and uphold the reverence associated with the teaching profession,” he said. Forthcoming rules regarding teacher placement would further streamline educational practices, he said.