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With the city reporting over 1300 dengue cases and four deaths due to the vector-borne disease, schools are eager to ensure that the children do not suffer from mosquito bites.
Several private schools in the city have issued circulars asking students to wear full-sleeved shirts and trousers, while the municipal corporation of Delhi has said that students in institutions run by it should cover themselves fully.
"We have asked the students to wear full sleeves. But we should also keep in mind that most of the children who come to our schools are from economically weaker sections. So they should be allowed to wear any dress which helps to protect them from mosquito bite," leader of the MCD house Subhash Arya said.
Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney, a former teacher, has urged the chairman of MCD's education committee M Nagpal to ensure that the civic body-run schools do not give "too much insistence" to proper uniforms.
Several private schools have asked their students to their winter uniforms, which are full-sleeved.
"The school has issued a circular asking children to wear full sleeves. Some parents are sending them in winter uniform (which is full-sleeved but not woollen) though we prefer to use mosquito-repellent cream," said the mother of a student of Banyan Tree School.
Another guardian from APJ School, Sheikh Sarai, said students were told by teachers at the assembly that they can come in full-sleeved dress. "While older students are wearing winter uniforms, students in primary schools are even being seen in denim jeans. There is no objection," he said.
In neighbouring Noida, many institutes have urged their students to cover up while in Ghaziabad, schools have issued circulars advising students to wear full-length clothing and to use mosquito-repellent cream.