NOIDA: The rising hemlines of skirts of girls have been an issue for their schools for a while now. But Marigold Public School in Noida has decided to put its foot down and change the uniform completely from the next year onwards. Female students will now be required to wear only salwar-kameez to school.

Students, however, are divided on the move. They said that the change in uniform was an "infringement of their right" to express themselves. "I understand that it's the uniform, but the move is backward. The length of my skirt is not a scale to measure my morality with," said Namrata Sharma (name changed), a student of class XI in the school.

However, the school explained that the ban on skirts came after they helplessly watched hemlines creep up as girls rolled up their skirts at the waist in order to show more of their legs. "The skirts are decent when they leave their homes, but they manage to transform their uniform into miniskirts by the time they reach school and that looks vulgar. It's not a ban on skirts; we have decided to change the uniform for girls in our school from the next session. It will only apply to the older students who are in class IX and senior classes," said Vikram Sharda, principal of Marigold Public School.

Different schools in the city acknowledged that students wearing their uniform indecently was a constant problem and they have to increasingly grapple with low-waist trousers and short skirts. "It's a problem that has been around forever and girls in our schools have to wear salwar-kameez to school after class IX. But it's not just girls in short skirts, boys too wear their trousers dangerously low and on more than one occasion we have found their undergarments showing. In such cases we punish them strictly," said Savita Mehta, spokesperson Amity International School, Noida.

Students, however, said that banning skirts or changing the uniform drastically will only lead to more rebellious behavior. "It's fashionable to wear your trousers low and, even if the teachers don't think it looks good, we think they do," said Ambar Madan (name changed), a student of Amity International School.

Even schools where the senior female students are required to wear salwar-kameez acknowledged that the desire to wear what is fashionable is natural amongst teenagers, but it's important to let the children understand the point of having a uniform in which they look different. "It's only natural that the youngsters will be inclined towards the grunge look. But we believe that through discipline and counselling the problem can be checked," said Sujata Dewan, principal of Vishwa Bharati Public School, Noida.

Many schools, however, maintain that changing the uniform will not solve the problem. They explained that students are at an age in the school were they will rebel against rules and it's important to make them understand the logic behind such moves. "If a school wants to inculcate the right kind of values and also teach students about wearing clothes decently, then I don't think that banning skirts is the solution. We don't intend to do anything of the sort in the near future. When children come to school dressed indecently, we reprimand them but at the same time we make them understand the reasons behind wearing the uniform decently," said Anuradha Sharma, principal of Ryan International School, Noida.

While all schools agree that short skirts and low-waist trousers are a problem, many have developed their own ways of dealing with it. MN Arul Raj, principal of Somerville School, is relieved that the low-waist fashion is fading away. However, the school has combined creative ideas with stern discipline to discourage students from wearing their uniform low. "We have instructed uniforms in-charge not to keep oversized trousers that can be transformed into low waist pants," she says.