No ‘sir’ or ‘madam’ in Kerala schools anymore?

In a move to promote gender-neutral terms in educational institutions, the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has directed the schools in the state to address school teachers as ‘teacher’ instead of honorifics like ‘sir’ or ‘madam’. The directive came after the child rights panel considered a plea filed by a person seeking to end the discrimination while addressing teachers ‘sir’ and ‘madam’ as per their gender.

‘Teacher’ is a more gender-neutral term than honorifics like ‘sir’ or ‘madam’ to address them, the Kerala Child Rights panel directed.

A Bench, comprising panel chairperson K V Manoj Kumar and member C Vijayakumar, on Wednesday directed the General Education Department to give instructions to use the term ‘teacher’ in all schools in the State. The Commission opined that calling out “teacher” instead of sir or madam can help in maintaining equality among the children of all schools and will also increase their attachment to the teachers.

In 2021, a similar decision was taken by a local village panchayat in Kerala to ban usual salutations like ‘sir’ or ‘madam’ in its office premises with an aim to bridge the barrier between common people. The Mathur village panchayat in this north Kerala district became the first civic body in the country to ban the usage of salutations like this, setting a unique reformation model for other civic bodies.

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