THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, declared on Wednesday that the Left dispensation will not decide what kinds of uniforms children should wear to school.  The CM  said this  in response to criticism of the government's gender-neutral policy.

The chief minister (CM) said in the state parliament that the choice of uniforms for boys and girls should be made by the educational institutions.

Leaders of the Congress ally Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and a number of conservative Muslim religious organisations have protested the state government's gender-neutral policy, particularly with reference to uniforms.

The CM was responding to an argument made by LDF MLA K K Shailaja that the government must achieve gender justice and equality for women and transgender people by keeping everyone's affairs private. He said that the state government does not intend to require boys and girls to wear the same kind of uniforms in school.

He said that acceptable uniforms should be discussed, chosen, and used by the different educational institutions, their teachers, PTAs, and student groups. He said that it is not the government's policy to enforce any certain style of attire on anyone and that no such order has been made. There can be no radical views in relation to people's rights to complete freedom of dress, diet, and belief.

The CM  added that efforts to impose a clothing code, including those on women,are an impediment to "our cause" of establishing a forward-thinking information society. Regardless of caste, religion, or gender, the government believes that all segments of society should enjoy the freedom they are entitled to.

The state government's ostensibly gender-neutral policy regarding schools and the uniforms worn by children was questioned by IUML MLA M K Muneer last month. He had asked why boys couldn't wear churidars but girls could only do so with blouses and pants.

A group of people organised a protest march to the institution against the new unisex uniforms when the Balussery Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Kozhikode introduced the gender-neutral uniform for its students in December of last year.

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