The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday urged medical colleges to design an “appropriate India[n] dress code” for graduating students, instead of the current practice of requiring them to wear black robes and caps at convocations, The Hindu reported.
The tradition of graduating students wearing a black robe and cap was a “colonial legacy” that needed to be changed, the ministry said.
The practice originated in the Middle Ages and was introduced by the British in their colonies, the letter to medical institutes added.
“...It has been decided by the Ministry that the various Institutes of the Ministry including All India Institute of Medical Sciences/Institutes of National Importance engaged in imparting medical education will design appropriate India dress code for the Convocation Ceremony of their Institute based on local traditions of the State in which the Institute is located,” the ministry said in an order.
The ministry asked medical colleges to submit proposals regarding their convocation attire that would be approved by the Union health secretary.
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