CHANDIGARH: In a bid to provide a safer environment to girls, the Haryana government is going to adopt a policy of disallowing male teachers below the age of 50 years, to teach the female students. State Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma, who is mostly known for his controversial statements, said male teachers in their forties or younger should not opt for jobs at girls' schools.
The initiative is part of the state government's new Teachers Transfer Policy-2016. "The educational institutions of boys and girls were the same in the past and were separated following the recommendations of Swami Dayanand Saraswati. He has written in his book Satyarth Prakash, that schools of boys and girls should be different and it was followed across the country," Sharma said. The decision is also based on the "natural Hindu philosophy of life" where a girl after a certain age needs special precautions, along with the fear that they may be attracted towards their teachers.
Just last month Sharma invoked a massive row when his education department, on his orders, issued a directive to school teachers asking them not to wear jeans to work. It was later withdrawn after widespread criticism. The government's new age bar policy for male teachers has also drawn sharp criticism from the opposition Congress.
Former state minister Captain Ajay Singh Yadav said, "There is no harm in implementing such guidelines. Teachers over 50 years of age are more mature to tackle grievances of girl students."
