New session: govt school students don’t have uniforms
10 Apr 2014Hindustan Times
UT education dept official claims model code of conduct delayed the matter
LAST YEAR, THE PROCESS OF PURCHASING SUMMER UNIFORMS CONCLUDED IN OCTOBER, WHEN THE SUMMER TERM WAS COMING TO A CLOSE
From page 1 CHANDIGARH: Even with the new academic session having already commenced, government-run schools in the city have yet to purchase school uniforms that are distributed free of cost to students of Classes 1 to 8. While earlier the education department used to purchase them for all schools, the latter were given the task early last year. Schools now have to buy the uniforms according to their requirements by floating tenders. However, with the former failing to make the purchases in time, the new arrangement has only served to cause more problems for both schools and the department. Last year summer uniforms were purchased as late as October when the summer term was coming to a close. This happened again when several schools distributed winter uniforms to students in March, just as the session was about to end. With schools still waiting for the education department to procure uniforms for the new session, it appears there will be a delay this year too. Schools have been instructed to stick to the education department’s guidelines on floating the tenders. A school head, not wishing to be named, said since the process of procuring uniforms takes at least two to three months, the department should have issued the norms in February. Swar n Singh Kamboj, who heads the UT Cadre Educational Employees Union, said the department had not “learnt its lesson” from its mess-up last year. “Several government schools weren’t able distribute winter uniforms till March last year and the department should have been better prepared this year,” he said. Vinod Sharma, president of the Government Teachers Union, said the education department’s norms on procuring the uniforms needed to be rethinked. “Under the new arrangement a school must first float a tender following which the supplier takes his own time to ship the uniforms. After the delivery it is mandatory for schools to get samples of the uniforms cleared by a government laboratory. In the process several schools are unable to distribute the uniforms on time” he said. A school principal said purchase of uniforms for the new academic session was not possible before June or July.
Meanwhile, sources in the department said a file on procurement of uniforms sent to the top brass in February was still pending approval.
A senior official said the matter had been delayed after the poll code of conduct came into force.