KV uniform gets NIFT makeover

Junking their 50-year-old navy blue and white uniform, 10 lakh students across 1,087 Kendriya Vidyalayas will don a designer uniform from this academic session. Checkered shirts with an interplay of red, white, grey and blue matched with grey bottoms, customised accessories, besides leggings and hooded sweatshirts for winter will be part of the makeover at the Central government-run schools. Designed by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), the uniform retains blue in the checkered tops in keeping with the KV identity, while red has been added for vibrancy and white and grey to give a sense of formal wear, sources said. The NIFT has recommended a cotton-polyester mix fabric with options of a warmer fabric for schools in hilly areas. The new uniform is being introduced ahead of the golden jubilee year of KVs in 2013. Girls will wear the uniform in three styles — those in class I and II will sport checkered tunics with red collars, while those in classes III to VIII will wear checkered shirts with grey divided skirts. Girls in class IX to XII will wear kurtis/kameez with a trouser-salwar designed to ensure comfort and functionality. The boys will wear shirts with shorts in junior schools and half-sleeve shirts with trousers in senior classes, along with a necktie. Currently, girls wear white blouse/navy blue skirt, and salwar-kameez in senior classes while boys have white shirt and navy blue shorts for juniors and trousers for seniors. Customised accessories like belts, socks and hair bands will complement the overall colour scheme to enhance the “contemporary” look of the uniform. The winter uniform will have hooded sweatshirts for junior classes and without hoods for seniors. Jackets and waistcoats are being considered by the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS). On the advice of NIFT, the KVs will get rid of the white sports uniform. It will instead opt for colorful T-shirts, sources confirmed. Soon to be approved by the KVS Board of Governors, the new uniform will cost the same as the existing one. “All class I students joining this year have been asked to purchase the new uniform, which will be available after the summer vacation. For all other classes, old and new uniforms will continue to stay in vogue alongside until two years. The full switch to the new uniforms will be effected by July 2014,” said an official. NIFT conducted a survey in KVs across 10 regions before coming up with the new design. Acceding to popular demand, necktie will be part of the new uniform.