As debates continue over the unisex uniform policy in schools, a tribal school inside the Sabarimala forests is the latest to break the gendered story of girls in skirts and boys in trousers.
When the Government Tribal Lower Primary School at Attathodu reopens after the Christmas-New Year vacation, all 40 pupils in the institution, including 24 girls, will wear a 3/4th shorts and shirt. With this, it is set to become the first tribal school in the State, if not in the country, to embrace gender-neutral uniforms.
Convenience factor
For Biju Thomas, headmaster of the school, introducing a gender-neutral school uniform policy at his school was just common sense. “More than getting rid of gender stereotypes, the decision is more about utility. Even the shortest access to the school from the forest comprises a flight of 105 steps. So it is important for the children, especially the girls,” he said.
The concept, which takes a cue from a similar initiative at the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Balussery, is being implemented with the support of District Collector Divya S. Iyer. The uniforms, made using cloth stocks allotted to the school over the last couple of years, have been designed and stitched with financial assistance from a Ranni-based agency.
At a function to be held on the school premises on Friday, the Collector will inaugurate the distribution of the uniforms. P.S. Mohanan, president of the Perunad panchayat, will preside.
Other immediate concerns
On the reaction of the students and their parents, Mr. Thomas said “it was not a big deal to them.” “As members of tribal families, their immediate concerns are about nutritional food and basic education,” he added.
Of the 40 students, most belong to the Malampandaram and Ulladan tribes, who live in the Sabarimala forests and face great difficulty in accessing the school. Majority of the students are dependent on a bus service run by the school, which picks up students from as far as Plappally and Chalakkayam.
The school authorities are also providing free protein-rich meals including non-vegetarian dishes to the students. These welfare measures, however, are facing the risk of abrupt discontinuation in the absence of adequate funds. The panchayat authorities said immediate steps would be taken to address the concerns. The tribal school, which had begun as part of the literacy programme in 1986, was elevated as a LP school as part of the People’s Plan movement during the 1995-2000 period.
