Srinagar: While the schools are over with the conduct of Term I (half yearly) exams of students, the government has failed to distribute the free school uniforms to the students.
The students up to class 8th are entitled for the free school uniforms under erstwhile SSA scheme under which each student is provided with two sets of free school uniforms at the beginning of the academic session in schools every year.
However, this year the department has failed to provide the school uniforms to the students even after the passage of eight month of the current academic session in schools. “The parents are blaming the school teachers for delay in distribution of uniforms. But we are nowhere at fault. The delay is from administrative department,” said a school teacher told KNO wishing anonymity.
A top source in the department told KNO that the state project directorate of Samagra has outsourced the procurement of uniforms to J&K handloom department and the uniforms are being supplied from outside state firms.
“The MHRD has released around RS 50 crore to the Samagra directorate but the uniforms are yet to be distributed in majority of districts. Earlier, all the education zones would get the school uniforms for student’s simultaneously but this year one or two districts have been covered till date while as rest are yet to receive the uniforms,” the official told KNO.
He said J&K handloom department has received Rs 15 crore in advance for the procurement of school uniforms. The parents of the students have also accused the department of adopting delaying tactics which has deprived the students from free school uniforms.
“We fail to understand when government will distribute uniforms among students. It’s 1st July and eight months of academic session have passed. Without uniform the school children feel inferior and are discouraged,” said Ghulam Ahmad Dar, a parent from Baramulla.
Meanwhile, in view of the delay the education department had sought an undertaking from the handloom department that school uniforms will be distributed in all the schools by June 30.
“Managing director was asked to give timeline of the distribution and complete the process by June ending but the process is still very slow,” an official said. Managing director J&K Handloom department meanwhile told KNO that the uniforms were distributed in every zone of Srinagar district while as zones in other districts were also covered in phased manner.
“We have distributed uniforms in one or two zones of every left out district as well. The uniforms for all the zones is being transported to valley. The process will be completed in a shortest possible time,” he told KNO. (KNO)
