This school in Kerala took a step forward for gender neutrality & we hope others take inspiration from this.
In an initiative to break all gender barriers, a government lower primary school in Valayanchirangara, near Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district in Kerala, introduced a gender-neutral uniform.
The students have to wear shirts and three-fourths of trousers. This also makes it comfortable for girls to move freely without any hesitation.
The decision was implemented in 2018, C Raji, former Headmistress said,
This is a school with a good vision. Gender equality was the main subject when we were talking about many factors to implement in the school. Therefore, uniforms came to mind. When I was thinking about what to do with it, I could see that girls face a lot of problems when it comes to skirts. The idea of a change was discussed with everyone. 90 percent of parents supported this at that time. The kids were happy too. I feel very happy and proud that this is being discussed now.
Under the gender-neutral uniform policy, all students can wear shirts and three-fourths of trousers. This uniform made the children very confident, said Suma KP, the present Headmistress in charge.
We hope many more schools take inspiration from this.
Also read: In A Landmark Move, India Gets Its First Ever Gender-Neutral Hostel At TISS, Mumbai.