A dispute between a woman teacher and the headmistress of a school at Edappatta in the district over the freedom to wear the dress of her choice was resolved following the intervention of the State Human Rights Commission.
The dispute over the leggings issue at C.K.H.M.G.H.S. School, Edappatta, had reached the Human Rights Commission after the headmistress objected to the woman teacher wearing the skinny pants.
The commission judicial member K. Baijunath found fault with both the teacher and the headmistress, and directed them to settle the issue. It was the teacher who approached the commission saying that it was her right to wear the dress of her choice and that the government had permitted that right.
The commission asked the Deputy Director of Education (DDE) to investigate the matter, and reached a decision based on the DDE’s report. The DDE report said that even when the teacher had the personal freedom to wear the dress of her choice that does not offend the decorum of the campus, both the teacher and the headmistress should have settled the matter on the campus instead of making it complicated.
The woman teacher apologised for making media statements, saying that she had not been aware that it was against government norms. She was transferred to another school after her apology.
The commission reminded teachers that they were to be a model for students and warned them against taking intramural issues out to the public.
