The Institute of Business and Management (IBM) at University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore has decided to ‘relax’ its recently announced dress code for students following severe ridicule and backlash. Critics, including students called the UET Lahore dress code decision as unnecessary moral policing.
Per details, the UET IBM issued a directive mandating students to observe a set dress code for male and female students, and any violations to this effect would be fined. Interestingly, the dress code issued three directives for male students, while six instructions were issued for female students.
For male students, dress pants, shirts or shalwar kameez with waist coat or coat during weekdays and shalwar kameez for Fridays with dress shoes were selected. For female students, shalwar kameez with knee length shirts, trousers with long shirts and dupatta or scarf was made compulsory. Whereas, the female students were told that deep necked shirts, sleeveless shirts, tights, skinny jeans and pants were being disallowed.
The new dress code was to be enforced from March 11 and violators would have to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 and would not be allowed to attend classes. The management of the IBM told various media outlets that the dress code was enforced to teach students how to dress formally.
However, after the decision attracted criticism from various quarters, the institute has decided to ‘relax’ its decision and would only impose the dress code for certain days in a week, the Academia Mag has learnt. The administration has yet to inform its students about the relaxation of the new rules, which have yet to be implemented formally.
A new directive in this regard is expected in the upcoming week.
HRCP
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) criticised the notification imposing a ‘dress code’ on students, saying “Freedom of choice lies at the heart of human rights. Imposing a dress code that clearly projects a regressive notion of what women should wear in public is needless and absurd”.
The statement added, “Universities are meant as institutions of higher learning and as places that enable students to think for themselves.”
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