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Teachers in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur strive for separate identity, introduce dress code
The new dress code is being followed in half a dozen schools in the district. Idea to have coats for teachers came after an informal meeting between teachers of six schools.
In a bid to create a separate identity for educators, a group of teachers in government-run schools in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh have introduced their own dress code.
The idea of coming up with a dress code came after rounds of discussion were held by teachers, who are striving to attain a distinctive identity for themselves.
A school teacher in Kinnaur district’s remote Tangling village Deepti Negi said, “Teachers are known as nation builders but ironically they don’t have any dress code which can give them a certain identity.” The school where she is a teacher has more than 50 students and four teachers.
“We have decided to have a dress code of our own. The government for many years has been issuing instructions asking teachers to dress up in formal attires but there is no dress code for us,” she said.
The new dress code is being followed in half a dozen schools in the district. Idea to have coats for teachers came after an informal meeting between teachers of six schools.
Surat Ram Negi, a teacher in primary school in Bharang village said, “We all sat together and were of the opinion that when doctors, engineers and other professions have coats and dresses that give them a separate identity, why shouldn’t we have this in government schools.”
Teachers have designed a green colour apron for themselves with a logo of ‘nation builders’ on it. They had engaged a local youth from Kinnaur to draw the insignia for the coats.
The teachers now want that the state government should also develop a dress code for them and implement it in all schools .
Another school teacher in Kinnaur, Parma Negi said,” Dress code helps inculcating discipline and brings parity among teachers.” The state government on many occasions had mulled over the idea to have separate uniforms for teachers. However, the concept did not materialise due to divergent views.
“Teachers in Kinnaur may have designed a separate uniform for themselves on their own, but the government so far has no plans to implement the same in state, “said secretary, education department, Arun Sharma.
The state government in 2017 had issued instructions to all teachers to dress up formally in schools. Directions at that time had come following a court order after a government official was reprimanded for dressing up casually.
The government had passed an order asking all government employees to dress up modestly during office hours . The advisory had also warned of strict action against the defaulters.
