Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) has directed St. Xavier´s College to set a dress code for its students.

A meeting of HSEB´s college monitoring committee earlier on Friday had decided to this effect reasoning that the Maitighar-based St. Xavier´s is the only private institution in the country that allows students to attend school in casual wear, said Member Secretary of the monitoring committee Dambar Batash.

The HSEB officials have reasoned that the dress code in schools and colleges must be followed strictly to discourage the trend of bunking and riding bike by students. All the higher secondary schools and plus two colleges have made it mandatory for their students to follow a dress code.

“The HSEB guideline already requires all plus two colleges to check their students´ presence at cinema halls, discos and parks during college hours,” said Batash, adding, “The regulation can´t be effectively implemented if renowned colleges do not follow the system.”

Batash added that the board would send a notice to the college giving a certain deadline to implement its decision. “The college authority would be asked for clarification and we will take further action if it remained defiant,” he mentioned.

While the guideline also restricts students to ride motorbikes in college uniforms, HSEB has coordinated with the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner´s Office (MPOC) to help enforce their directive by taking students and their two-wheelers under control if found riding in uniform, said the HSEB Spokesperson Narayan Koirala.

“HSEB sought cooperation with security agencies as it alone cannot make a difference,” said Koirala. MTPD and the MPCO have expressed commitment to help in the implementation of the HSEB rule.

Meanwhile, HSEB has also decided to monitor if the private colleges are following the provision on ensuring scholarships to marginalized students. In its last monitoring drive, HSEB committee had found that the Valley-based colleges were charging Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 to students who were supposed to receive scholarships.

source: republica,17 August 2013