Aditya Birla World Academy states that at birth a child may choose to wear a skirt as their uniform.
Aditya Birla World Academy states that at birth a child may choose to wear a skirt as their uniform.
One of my fondest memories of school is the head girl ripping off the hem of my pee skirt with a blade.
I grew up in the cosmopolitan Mumbai of the 90s and went to a popular convent that took pride in educating girls from all social, religious and economic backgrounds. Our nuns weren’t so strict with homework, but we were definitely questioned if we were seen talking to a guy. We shared a playground with two other schools, one of them being an all boys academy. And there was our attempt to snag a boyfriend on Mini Pei Uniform 15.
In the coming academic year, Aditya Birla World Academy, a leading school in Mumbai, is introducing gender-neutral uniforms. Children of any birth gender will be able to choose from trousers, skirts or ‘skirts’ (a bad marriage between skirt and shorts) as their uniform. For example, at birth a child may choose to wear a skirt as their uniform if they so desire.
Aditya Birla World Academy in Mumbai is planning to introduce gender-neutral uniforms in the coming academic year. , photo credit: special arrangement
In an email to parents, principal Radhika Sinha says the school aims to prioritize comfort and freedom of expression. The move is towards breaking stereotypes about gender clothing and ensuring an inclusive environment. The email said the school hopes to “reduce gender discrimination in uniform so that students of different genders, gender non-conforming, or questioning genders can feel safe to discover and express themselves at the school”.
Gender-neutral uniforms have existed in schools for the purpose of being viewed as liberal for some years. Here the skirt is completely removed, and the girls wear trousers like the boys. The move has been welcomed by many who see it as an attempt to do away with gender stereotypes. Its aim is to encourage more and more girls to take up sports. Ironically, some parents were overjoyed by this, so their girls didn’t have to expose their legs. Uniforms were meant to remove social barriers, so why should they allow gender barriers? But trousers for everyone are problematic, as it considers the male dress code the default.
read also Now Gender Neutral Uniform for Plus One Students of Balussery School
read also Gender neutral uniform of government school makes students very happy
read also Tribal school goes for gender-neutral uniforms
With increasing awareness of gender identity, such as ‘non-binary’, where people do not identify as male or female, and ‘gender dysphoria’, where their biological gender and gender identity do not match, more inclusive Or non-discriminatory school dress becomes mandatory.
In 2016, a UK school removed its centuries-old uniform laws and allowed its students to choose a trouser or skirt for their uniform, instead of mandating the male uniform as the main uniform. In 2019, the mayor of Mexico City proposed a proposal allowing boys to wear skirts and girls to wear pants if they wanted to, sparking an uproar in the Roman Catholic city.
That same year in Taiwan, one of the more progressive countries in Asia, a school introduced a day when students could wear the uniform of the opposite sex to prevent gender stereotypes and bullying. Inspired by this, advertising agency Ogilvy Taipei and designer Angus Chiang created a uniform that included a long skirt for boys and girls alike. In Tokyo, many high schools give students the option of choosing between slacks and skirts.
medium of self expression
It’s interesting to see how Uniform is changing its rules. Where it once stood for a disciplined school system (children are regularly sent back home for an unruly uniform or missing tie), or an egalitarian classroom, its role is changing. The uniform is now turning into a medium of self-expression.
Some schools in India allow casual Fridays when children can come in their regular clothes. Some schools take an anti-bullying stand by asking their students to wear weird, mismatched socks or wrongly-fronted shirts, to acknowledge everything that is different or unusual.
One could argue that these new ideas are rather metro-centric, and only happen in fancy schools. In most of India, nothing really changes. But the uniform itself is a distinct concept. Its first recorded use was in England in 1222, when the Archbishop of Canterbury ordered the students to wear a robe, known as ‘ kappa clausa, In the US, private schools have uniforms, most public (state-funded schools) do not.
look | Karnataka Hijab Controversy Explained
Earlier this year, at a junior college in Karnataka, Muslim students who wished to wear a hijab or headscarf were denied entry on grounds of violating the college’s uniform policy. The Karnataka High Court upheld the ban and the Supreme Court refused an urgent hearing on the appeal.
read also Karnataka Hijab Controversy: The Stories Behind The Story
in his amazing book Naked or Covered: A History of Dressing and Undressing Around the World, writes Meineke Schipper, “those in power use dress to confirm, argue or reverse existing power relations”. In 1979, Bokassa, the President of the Central African Republic, killed hundreds of schoolchildren because they refused to wear the uniforms prescribed by him, which were made in a factory owned by one of his wives.
A new coalition government in Scotland is considering a proposal to “force” students to wear gender-neutral uniforms and bring equality in classrooms as a cost-cutting measure. daily mail, Scotland already has a grant that pays £120 per child to help parents pay for the uniform.
The idea of uniform as a dictatet is dying out. Why not lift up the uniform completely? In an environment where we are encouraging the world to buy less clothes to clutter the planet, why promote consumerism through school uniforms that need to be changed frequently?
The author is a seasoned journalist who believes that a mother’s job is never done.