BENGALURU: Girls studying in state government high schools will get new uniform from the next academic year (June). They will be wearing salwar kameez /churidar sets instead of skirts and shirts. Also, dark green colour will replace the existing light and dark blue shade of the uniform.
“The new uniforms will be distributed to girl students from the coming academic year and the orders for the uniforms have already been placed,” said a senior official of the Primary and Secondary Education Department.
As per the information available from the department, over 8.5 lakh girls studying in classes 8 to 10 will get the new uniform.
A proposal to change the uniform for girls was floated last year after a series of sexual harassment cases were reported in schools. And the government had also given a nod for it. But, the department couldn’t implement it, as the orders were not placed. The department officials said the ‘Chudidaar Bhagya’ was announced by Chief Minister in 2016-17 academic year after consulting educationists, officials and teachers.
The uniforms will be given free of cost and are expected to cost the government an additional Rs 75 crore.
Most PU colleges mandate uniforms, violate rule
The Department of Pre-University Education has directed the colleges offering PU courses not to make uniforms mandatory for students. A handbook on ‘Admission Guidelines’ released by the department for the 2017-18 academic year states that no college affiliated to the department is allowed to make uniform mandatory. “Making the uniform mandatory for PU students is violation of rule and if colleges are found on the wrong side of the law, action will be taken.”
However, most private PU colleges in the city have uniform for their students. Colleges say the intention of mandating uniform is to identify their students and to bring uniformity on campus.