No jeans, salwars for teachers

BANGALORE: Clean shaven, decent haircut, formals. No jeans, T-shirts or salwar kameez. It’s not just students, college teachers, too, are now being directed to stick to a specific dress code. The contention: by doing so, teachers will command respect as they will stand out among students.
Even as the debate on uniform for college students continues, managements are hoping to influence students to maintain dignity by focusing on teachers.Despite written instructions, students’ response to a dress code is rarely forthcoming. Changing teachers’ attire might just be the way out!
New recruits are oriented about how they should be dressed in college. "Sarees for women and formal dressing for men is compulsory," explains N Sundararajan, principal of Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College.
The argument is formals or sarees set teachers apart from students. "Looking dignified" is the buzzword. "Sarees are just beautiful. After all, it’s our national attire and we should be proud to wear it," Bishop Cotton Girls’ College principal Hetziba Doss says.
Teachers are not complaining. "It’s good to wear a saree since the attire adds on to one’s personality. An atmosphere of professionalism and formality needs to be maintained on campus," said a lecturer of CMR College.
Managements are aware that sarees can be revealing at times. "We ask seniors to advise others to maintain decency. We should not be sending wrong signals. We also ensure that male teachers are clean shaven," M Prakash, principal of Seshadripuram College, Yelahanka, said.
Teachers seem to be following dress codes meticulously. Are the students listening?