Education Department: Ban on wearing jeans-T-shirts by officers and employees

Bihar | Bihar’s education department has directed its employees not to wear ‘casual’ clothes like jeans and T-shirts to office, saying the practice is against the workplace culture. The Director (Administration), Education Department, in an order issued on Wednesday, objected to employees coming to offices wearing T-shirts and jeans.

The order said, “It has been observed that the officers and employees of the department are coming to the office wearing such dress which is against the office culture. It is against the working culture of the office for officers or other employees to wear ‘casual’ clothes in the office.

It was further said in the order, “Therefore, all the officers and employees should come to the offices of the Education Department wearing formal clothes. Wearing of any ‘casual’ dress especially jeans and T-shirts will not be allowed in the offices of the Education Department with immediate effect. Several attempts were made to contact Bihar Education Minister Chandra Shekhar to know his reaction on the order, but he could not be reached.

Significantly, in April, the District Magistrate of Saran district had banned all government employees from wearing jeans and T-shirts in government offices. In 2019, the Bihar government had banned the wearing of jeans and T-shirts by employees in the state secretariat. Its purpose is said to be to maintain the “decency of the office”. The government has asked the employees of the state secretariat to wear plain, comfortable and light-coloured clothes to the office.