School education department won't bear cost of teachers' uniform

BHOPAL: After the government's announcement to give teachers the status of 'nation builders' and implement dress code, the school education minister Vijay Shah has refused to pay for the dress of teachers as the school education department's letter seeking clarity on the matter has received a clear 'no' from higher officials.
With the state government deciding to implement dress code for teachers from the new academic session, the teachers were in a dilemma regarding who would foot the bill for the new dress.
Highly placed sources in school education department told TOI that the letter which was sent to school education minister seeking clarity on the question raised by teachers has received a cold response. "Since there was ambiguity on the issue, DPI had written to state education minister for clarification. It has been directed that teachers will have to bear the cost of uniform on their own. The teachers will now be asked to voluntarily do it," said the source. Fuming over the school department's reply, a school teacher termed the idea as "absurd and a political stunt."
"It was just a political stunt by the education minister. The announcement was made with such a hype so that it could attract the media attention. Now he is not bothered about it any more," he said. Another teacher told TOI that if the department really wants them to be called as nation builders then education minister must spare some time for schools which are in a real bad condition. "We don't need uniforms or any tag, we want our children to get quality education. He should fill up thousands of teacher posts lying vacant since past five years. Buying a dress is a cruel joke on us," the teacher said.
Teachers in the state will have to follow a uniform dress code - a maroon jacket for women and navy blue for men - from the next academic session, according to an order issued by the state education department. The order said that how teachers dress is important as the directive is to bring uniformity and check personality differences.