Dress code: Two officers suspended

Chandigarh : A day after the Punjab Education Department issued a dress code for women schoolteachers, Education Minister Aruna Chaudhary today not only withdrew the letter but also suspended Deputy Director Amrish Shukla and Assistant Director Amarbir Singh, stating the letter contained “very denigrating language” and had been issued without taking the higher authorities into confidence.
Claiming it had received several complaints on teachers’ attire, the department had yesterday issued a letter, stating that “jeans, tops, flashy and fashionable dresses” by women teachers excited” students and that they must follow a dress code. Sources said a complaint on the teachers’ attire was received by the CM’s office, which was marked down to the secondary wing  of the Director Public Instruction (DPI) by the Education Department. Treating it as one of the routine complaints, the officers concerned issued a letter, stating that a five-year-old order in this regard be followed. What landed them in trouble was the vocabulary used and they not taking prior permission of the higher authorities.“Punishment to the officers seems severe as they only re-issued the 2012 orders on a dress code. Nod of the higher authorities is normally not sought while issuing memos, directing the implementation of old orders. Also, withdrawing the letter will not serve any purpose until the department withdraws the 2012 order,” said an officer.