Skirts vs suits at KVM: Step taken after parents’ consent, says school; move gets mixed response

While the majority of parents have supported the decision to make suits mandatory, some students are giving a vent to their anger on social networking sites like Facebook on a page ‘Skirts vs Suits-KVM’, formed by a former boy student of the school who says that changing uniform is not a solution to the problem of eve teasing and derogatory comments passed by boys.

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However, the school authorities claim that safety of girls is the priority and the decision was taken after taking consent from parents.

Talking to Ludhiana Newsline, principal Navita Puri said, “The decision has been under consideration for two years. We do not believe that wearing skirts is a bad thing but there are safety measures which have to be taken. We have taken a decision in a complete democratic way as in 2013 a meeting of almost 60 parents was called and they all agreed on changing uniform from skirts to suits. We have their written consent. We also held a separate counselling session for students. Some girls disagreed and they were counselled that there is no harm in wearing our traditional attire.”

However, the students on FB page demand that instead of putting a ban on skirts, the school should counsel the boys who pass comments on girls’ clothes.

“I don’t think that saying no to skirts is going to make a difference. What people really need to understand is that it’s not the skirts that provoke some men, it’s the absence of proper sex education at school and college level,” said Harman Singh Sangha, on FB page.

To this, principal Puri said, “We held a separate counselling session for boys too and they are being counselled to respect girls and behave properly but precautions are needed on both sides to avoid any untoward incident in future.”

Following a meeting with parents in 2013, KVM made suits optional in 2014. The step came after some derogatory comments by boys on the school’s ‘Confessions’ page were brought to the principal’s notice. Finally, it was decided to make suits mandatory from the 2015-16 session.

In a letter written to Irani, Rajinder Ghai, president of Parents’ Association, wrote, “Although the school has taken a precautionary step to avert any kind of nuisance in school, this is not the ultimate solution to this problem. If we are ultimately going to impose restrictions on girls then what is the need of gender sensitisation? This way, we are setting an example of ‘discrimination’ for younger generation and boys might get encouragement. HRD Ministry is trying to promote gender sensitisation in school. Moreover, gender sensitisation has been added in the curriculum in the schools affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education that is appreciable. However, I feel sad that this initiative is making no difference.”

Kanwar Jitender Bajwa, a parent, said, “We were called for a meeting two years back and we ourselves requested the principal to change uniform. It is not just about comments from boys but also free movement of girls. In skirts, the situation becomes embarrassing sometimes but suits ensure the girls can move freely during various activities.”