THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government on Monday announced in the state assembly that it has not given any direction on introducing mixed seating in classrooms or implementing gender-neutral uniform in schools. General Education Minister V Sivankutty’s statement is viewed as a major policy reversal on a progressive measure in the wake of opposition from Muslim organisations as well as major political parties.
“The decision on uniforms is the prerogative of Parent Teachers Associations (PTAs) and local bodies concerned... The government stands for gender equality,” said the minister. He was responding to a calling attention motion by N Shamsudeen of the Muslim League.
Shamsudeen accused the government of creating sexual anarchy and a gender-less society through the proposed reforms. “Gender-neutral ideas will lead to free-sex,” he said. “It is objectionable to sneak in liberal ideas through education reforms. Promotion of rational thinking should not be done at the expense of government money... A believers’ community cannot accept sexual anarchy... No justice is served if women dress like men. Why force them to wear jeans and top when they wish to wear skirts and churidars. This is injustice,” he said.
The government had earlier backed the novel initiative after some schools in the state implemented mixed seating and gender-neutral uniform last year. Sivankutty had then said that the education department would continue to support efforts towards establishing gender justice in schools.
Later talking to TNIE, senior Congress leader Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan said the Opposition didn’t find anything amiss in Shamsudeen’s speech. “If you look at his speech in total, we can’t find anything critical,” he said.