E-Paper
Winter uniform delays force students to attend classes in casual clothes, say govt school teachers
Boys from general, BPL categories, including pre-primary children, affected; authorities say many schools have received supplies, pending cases under review
As winter sets in and temperatures continue to drop, thousands of students in government schools across Ludhiana are attending classes without proper winter uniforms, say educators. Boys from general and below poverty line (BPL) categories, along with pre-primary children, are forced to wear casual clothing, leaving them exposed to the cold, as supply of uniforms is yet to reach many schools despite repeated assurances from authorities, they added.
“Several kids still don’t have sweaters. It gets quite cold in the mornings and these students come in whatever clothes they have at home, which are often not suitable for this weather,” said a government school teacher.
Jagjit Singh Mann, district president of the Government Teachers’ Union who is also head teacher at Government Primary School, Mangli Uchi, said the delay is a recurring problem. “Pre-primary students, from nursery to UKG, haven’t received their uniforms this year. Newly admitted nursery students have been coming in casual clothes since April because uniforms are supplied only once a year,” he said.
The teachers said that while girls and boys from the Scheduled Caste (SC) category receive uniforms on schedule under government provisions, boys from the general and BPL categories require schools to submit separate demands to the education department, which often results in delayed deliveries.
Dharamjeet Singh Dhillon, district president of the Lecturer Cadre Union, said, “The demand for uniforms for BPL and general category boys is submitted to the education department and their uniforms then arrive, which is latest by September.”
Senior secondary school teachers questioned the usefulness of distributing uniforms this late in the academic year.
“Their exams will begin in February. With the session almost over, what will be the use of uniform then?” one teacher said.
Deputy district education officer (elementary) Manoj Kumar said uniforms are distributed under the Pehal project through school management committees. “As far as I know, many schools have already received their uniforms. I will check again for the schools that are still waiting,” he added.
