Dress code for schoolteachers: Chandigarh Administration sets new deadline for implementation of order

After changing the deadline twice, the Education Department of Chandigarh has now come up with a new deadline for implementing the dress code for faculty of the local government schools. As per the new instruction, the new deadline is August 14.

“We received requests from teachers and the union, and having considered and reviewed these practical constraints, the time by which all teachers are required to be in uniform is extended to August 14,” read an instruction.

It further added, “All teachers will make best use of the time and get the uniform stitched, so that by the Independence Day…we all wear the uniform.”

Earlier, the department had decided to implement the dress code from July 20. Previously on June 30, the department had ordered implementation of a ‘dress code’ for teachers and principals in government schools, but after a few hours, it had declared the orders ‘null and void’.

The previous order was withdrawn considering the objection over the uniform colour, raised by the faculty members.

Recently, the department changed the colour combination and outlined — for female teachers, ivory-coloured suit with one shade darker dupatta (lower can be a salwar or salwar pant) or ivory-coloured saree and blouse with beige or golden border.

For male teachers, it will be blue shirt (formal) and grey trousers. For female principals, maroon saree and maroon blouse with golden/beige border or plain maroon suit with golden/beige dupatta and for male principals, white shirt (formal) and grey trousers.

It was in April this year, when the department announced to introduced a ‘dress code’ for teachers — making Chandigarh the first city in the country to implement uniform for school teachers. The initiative, taken by the Education Department on the advice of UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, was first introduced at the PM Shri Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 14, Dhanas. In January, the Administrator had proposed the introduction of uniform for teachers, during a job letters’ distribution ceremony.