Why this obsession with neckties in our climate?
What is it about the necktie that department heads and head teachers are insistent their male officers and teachers must wear even in the blistering heat we’re experiencing now?
Furthermore, male teachers are told to dress up in long-sleeved shirts and, if possible, blazers to portray an image of integrity, elegance, style and social class to the children.
Even male students in primary and secondary schools are not spared the inconvenience.
It is ludicrous to wear the tie on a hot afternoon, teaching in a classroom with fans barely working. How can a teacher teach effectively when he is hot and sweating profusely?
The only solace for the teacher will be in the school staff room or an office that is air-conditioned.
Most schools have air-conditioning units placed in strategic rooms, like the principal’s or head teacher’s room, staff room and the library. Classrooms do not have air-conditioning units and it would be hot and unbearable there. The rickety fans do not give much ventilation and classrooms with zinc roofs are like saunas in the hot afternoon.
Teachers and officers should dress appropriately for our weather. Our former premier Mahathir Mohamad had come up with a practical working dress code – short-sleeved working clothes that took into account the climate and image of the civil servant.
Samuel Yesuiah
Seremban, Malaysia
The Star/ANN
