No jeans, leggings for girls at Kerala med college

The Government Medical College in Kerela has come under flak for issuing a dress code for girls, prohibiting them from wearing jeans, leggings or ‘noisy ornaments’.

In a circular issued on Thursday, the Vice Principal of the College has stated a set of rules in regards to the MBBS course to ensure regular attendance and the final internal marks.

However, right at the bottom of the circular there appears to be a dos and don’ts for both ‘gents’ and ‘ladies’ which ensures the students appear to be formally dressed.

The boys have been ordered to maintain a ‘neat and clean dress and appearance with formal dress and shoes’, which appears to be reasonable enough. However, the women have been asked to wear formals which specifically mean ‘churidar or saree’ and that their hair must be ‘put up’.

But what stood out in the don’ts section, besides not asking them to wear ‘short tops or chappals’, was the part prohibiting them from wearing ‘jeans, leggings or noisy ornaments’.

This is not the first instance of the ‘dress code’ menace having hit educational institutes in the state, as a Kozhikode college had banned girls from wearing jeans on campus earlier this year.

Last year, 18-year-olds at a northern Kerala college were ordered to wear a uniform of a kurta, a churidaar and an overcoat instead of a dupatta, said officials at the women's college in the district of Kozhikode.

Female students, especially in the medical and engineering courses, have complained that it becomes a herculean task to manoeuvre themselves in a saree or worrying about dupattas, especially during exams or in practicals, where ease of movement and being comfortable are of paramount importance. –ANI