The Sarojini Naidu Government Girls Post Graduate College in Bhopal has introduced dress code from January 2017. College principal, Vandana Agnihotri, stated that the college will implement a dress code from the start of the new semester next month, as per the demand of the girls. The students should not wear jeans and t-shirts or leggings, but salwar kurta with a jacket.
The college principal Vandana Agnihotri confirmed the implementation of the new dress code from next month when the new semester begins. She added that it was a demand from the girls which was now being fulfilled.
The purpose of the dress code is to instill discipline among the students in college as in school. Girls of the final year have discussed the issue of dress code with the principal and felt that they have to buy new dresses, only to be used for few months. There was more concern than resistance for the decision.The principal added that the college is yet to decide about giving exemption to the final year students based on this point.
According to the principal, Vandana Agnihotri, the dress code is mainly helpful in keeping the atmosphere cordial and avoiding students from weaker financial background from developing any inferiority complex while watching other girls wearing expensive clothes.
The National Students Union of India, which is affiliated to Congress, felt that decision is unnecessary. The spokesperson Vivek Tripathi, added that there are other challenges like insufficient faculty and poor infrastructure in our education system that need to be dealt with first and that decisions like dress code will be an additional burden on the students of weak financial background.