JUST ahead of the onset of winter in Gujarat, the state government on Thursday issued directions to all schools to not force students to wear warm clothes of a certain colour to adhere to the school uniform.
In January 2023, a 14-year-old student in Rajkot allegedly died due to cold with her kin alleging that the school authorities insisted on letting the students wear only uniform sweaters to school.
Minister of State for Education Praful Pansheriya on Thursday warned private schools not to force children to wear sweaters of a certain colour in the school in order to protect themselves from the cold.
“The state government is making all efforts to ensure no child dies due to cold in the state. All the District Education Officers (DEOs) in Gujarat have been informed that no primary, secondary and higher secondary school shall force any child to wear a thin, low-quality sweater (not cold-proof) as part of their uniform,” Minister of State for Education Praful Pansheriya said in an official statement.
If a school administrator insists that a child wears their school’s prescribed sweater, parents should file a complaint with the district education officer’s office, he said, adding the state government will take strict action against that school.
Also, the minister assured the parents that a child can wear any sweater, hat, hand gloves available to protect themselves from cold, adding no private school or any other institution can enforce any regulation in this regard.
The Rajkot incident took place at A V Jasani Vidya Mandir in January 2023 after which the district education authorities directed schools to open an hour later than their normal timing in the morning and also allow students to wear warm clothes of their choice.
Riya Sagar fainted while talking to her friends in the lobby of the school. She was rushed to the nearest hospital but was declared dead.
Riya’s parents had alleged that the school should have allowed students to wear warm clothes rather than sticking to uniform sweaters, which are not sufficient to beat the cold.
Last year, Rajkot witnessed its coldest winter in eight years with the city registering temperatures below eight degrees for a number of days.
The issue was also raised by Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee with spokesperson Manish Doshi appealing to the state government to ensure such incidents do not happen in the future.
