Women’s advocates are again lamenting Saudi Arabia’s push to limit rights for women in the ultra-conservative Kingdom after the education ministry announced it wanted “stricter” uniforms for girls.

The country’s education directorate said that “more decent” uniforms for girls would be implemented after it said it found students to wear open collars and “inadequate” belts.

“This is just more ridiculous anti-women moves by Saudi Arabia to push women into the background and limit rights,” said Dubai-based Saudi researcher Mona Hafez.

She told Bikyamasr.com that “this will again show that Saudi is unable to cope with women and their right to wear and do what they want. It is a slight against freedom.”

According to local reports, the general education directorate in Makkah has written a note to schools and has stressed that girls must remain committed to wearing decent uniforms, and avoid designs meant for men’s clothes.

Girls were issued a week’s time to “rectify” their uniforms and those who faced financial difficulties should be given assistance to overcome the challenges.

Under the acceptable dress code, girl’s uniforms should not have open front collars and zippers should only be on the back.

Besides this, wearing belts is banned at all times.

All schools have been directed to post acceptable designs on the school board to help the students make the right uniform choice.

Women in the country are barred from driving and only last year were given the right to run for local office, but not until 2015.

MWN