The recent case involving a city school issuing guidelines for girl students on their uniforms and colour of their underpants has irked parents and citizens at large.
Where is our education system headed asks the city of Pune?
Guidelines and norms are acceptable, yet the school seems to have overstepped their brief on this.
Meanwhile. a section of the agitated parents approached the authorities and the Maharashtra government has now ordered an inquiry into the complaints made.
The school authorities however state that none of the parents have approached them with their complaints and of the 5000 parents only 10 were seen protesting outside the school.
Speaking to Pune365, Dr Suchitra Karad Nagare, Trustee and Executive Director of MIT Group of Institutes responded saying that these guidelines were formulated to ensure the safety of the girls while they were at school.
“We have to ensure that no child encounters any untoward incident while they are in school. Their safety is the concern.
Over the years, we have had complaints of boys passing loose comments on their counterparts and this kind of indecent behaviour has seen an increase in the recent years. Hence, we thought to best advise the parents on the precautions to be taken.
“The intention wasn’t about asking the children what to wear and what not to, but like any other school or office, a protocol is there that needs to be adhered to.
We thought that it should be uniform, and the pino-forms should have bloomers inside and this is because in washrooms and benches, the boys have been writing derogatory comments and commenting on colours etc.
Hence, we thought that we should make the parents aware that what precautions they are expected to take for the child at school. Our intention was not wrong, but the parents have taken it otherwise,” Karad adds.
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While some city parents took the guidelines in the right spirit, several others were enraged by this and felt that sensitizing and counselling the students is what was needed.
Lavina Singh, a homemaker believes that it is better to be safe than sorry.
“We have seen kids witnessing child bullying and such menaces at schools taking a toll on their mental health.
A girl being commented upon for unintentionally revealing a part of their undergarments, is not something we as adults are not used to and can accept. Moreover, if it is not happening voluntarily, then making it a rule is the only resort.
That is also a part of the uniform and I don’t see what the fuss is about” adds Lavina.
“If the dressing is indecent in any way or causes an issue in a co-ed school, then it should be discussed but a mandate was not the right way of doing it,” says Sheetal Gupta, mother of two girls.
The schools should have spoken to the parents and could have handled it by counselling and discussion with the parents.
I feel, in this day and age where school kids are aware of the latest fashions and want to flaunt it at school, some lines have to be drawn, but the method has to be sensible.”
Meghna Patel, a home tutor, said that the boys will do these things even after such guidelines are framed. The ideal thing here should be educating them.
Irrespective of what age, every woman has faced this somewhere or the other. Hence, it is best to speak to them about this as part of sex education. This is still ignored in many schools.
Even parents should ensure their children do not indulge in any bullying or indecent behaviour or exposure as the case maybe..”
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#All views expressed are those of the respondents and Pune365 does not necessarily subscribe to them.
Reach her at loveleen@pune365.com or tweet @KaurKaur18
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