Is navel the education sector’s main concern?-ctu

The Ceylon Teachers’ Union yesterday lashed out at Western Province Chief Minister Isura Devapriya over a statement he is alleged to have made that he would be issuing a dress code for lady teachers making it mandatory for them to wear their sarees above the navel.

No intention of taking any decision on this matter because there was no valid reason

According to the chief minister’s statement which was carried by the media, schoolgirls will also not be allowed to wear their dancing costumes below the navel.

Scoffing at the CM’S statement, CTU President Joseph Stalin told Daily Mirror that it was up to the lady teachers to decide how to wear their sarees and not for the Chief Minister to dictate how it should be done.

“We condemn this statement. It is an anachronistic proposal. We see nothing wrong with teachers wearing sarees below the belly button. It may be that there is something wrong with Mr. Devapriya’s eyesight. We like to ask the Chief Minister whether the belly button is the main concern of the education sector in the Western Province,” he said. Meanwhile, Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said his ministry had no intention of taking any decision on this matter because there was no valid reason to lay down rules or regulations on how teachers should wear their sarees.

He said it was the responsibility of lady teachers to wear their clothes in a manner which was not an insult or a slur on their profession.