Kolkata: West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee government has made it mandatory for students in state Government-run/sponsored schools to wear the same navy-blue and white uniform with the Biswa Bangla logo on the chest, drawing howls of protest from the opposition.
In a fresh directive, the state education department mandated the uniform for both boys and girls.
"From now on, all state-run schools will have the same colour coded uniform and the state government logo - Biswa Bangla- on them," a notification said.
Under the programme of " Poschimbongo Somogro Shikha Mission,"(West Bengal Integrated Educaiton Mission) the boys will wear white half-shirt and navy-blue half pant or full white shirt and full navy-blue pants from pre-primary to class VIII. For girls, the dress code is white shirt, navy-blue frock kameej, white and navy-blue salwar.
"Schools will be able to choose from a white shirt, navy-blue tunic frock and/or white/navy blue salwar-kameez," the notification, issued on March 14, said.
Sources said the government would distribute the school uniform, including shoes.
The notification has sparked a row, with the opposition going hammer and tongs at the government.
The main opposition BJP said it was a regimentation being imposed on the educational institutions, many of which already have their own uniform.
BJP state president Sukanta Mazumdar and Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, while criticising the move, said they would raise the matter with the party's central leadership.
According to a report an official said, "The entire thing will come into effect once the Self-help Groups complete manufacturing the uniforms and footwear as per specified norms and code in colour and design."
Till then, all the existing uniforms of schools would continue.
It may be mentioned here that all state government buildings and infrastructural installations in the were earlier painted blue-and-white following Banerjee's order.
The Biswa-Bangla logo, designed by Banerjee, is the state's official logo. (UNI)
