The Karnataka government on Friday said that girl students studying in government-run high schools will have to wear salwar kameez uniforms from the 2017 academic year.

The uniform for girls studying in Class 8, Class 9 and Class 10 currently consists of skirt and blouse. Cloth for the uniforms is provided by the government, and is usually stitched by the school the student studies in.

Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Tanveer Sait said in a news conference in Bengaluru that apart from uniforms, students would also be given cycles and shoes, which would be provisioned by calling for tenders.

The Minister did not elaborate on why this decision was taken. Despite attempts to contact him, he was unavailable to comment on the reasons. However, other similar proposals in the past, have justified them on the basis of the convenience of girl students. 

When the BBMP made such a proposal for girl students in Bengaluru, for instance, one official had told The Hindu,

"Most students in BBMP schools use public transport and whenever any of our officials went for inspection, the students usually asked for this change, saying skirts and blouses made them uncomfortable. And that it would make them feel safer, especially when they are on the streets,” said K. Nagabhushan, the committee’s chairman.

According to a Public TV report, the minister said that the tenders will be called for in November 2016 itself, so that there is no delay in the provision of new uniforms.

The Minister also said that the quality of midday meals would be sampled at the cluster level, before being served to students.