Come this June and you may find students studying in the same Government/Aided school wearing different uniforms that unwittingly reveal the caste and class identities of a section of them. This ungainly situation of ‘profiling’ is the result of a project initiated by the state government to provide free uniforms to all girl students as well as all students belonging to the SC/ST category and those from BPL families. The project, meant to be implemented last year, was delayed primarily due to the meagre financial allocation and restrictive guidelines on uniform purchase.
KSTA state executive panel member P N Sajeevan told ‘Express’ that the very concept of ‘uniform’ has been lost because of the flaws in the scheme. According to him, in almost all the schools that have opted to buy uniforms from the companies empanelled by the government, there will be two kinds of uniforms in the coming academic year - one for the students belonging to the APL category and another for those eligible for the free uniforms.
Roy, a teacher in central Kerala, said that several schools in Kottayam district have received uniforms which differ from the existing pattern of the respective school. “The school authorities are in a dilemma over how to avoid this awkward situation. A major reason for this confusion is the impracticality of the conditions in the government order regarding purchase of uniforms from the open market,” he said. He added that the authorities have been discouraging school heads from buying uniforms from the open market, saying that it may create problems in the future, especially during auditing. As per the scheme, all eligible students are to be provided two sets of free uniforms. Right from the beginning, teachers across the state had pointed out that the sum of `400 allocated for each student towards this end will not be sufficient.
According to a DPI circular dated December 13, 2013, each school should purchase the uniforms from one of the eight companies empanelled by the government, and choose one pattern of uniform from the 11 shortlisted by the Tender Formulation and Evaluation Committee. The order also allows PTAs or SMCs to buy the material from the open market, but on the condition that the schools doing so should present a quality certificate, issued by a laboratory recognised by the Union Textile Ministry. The certificate thus issued must state that the materials purchased from open market match with the specifications mentioned in a previous circular. It should also be ensured that the price of the materials purchased from open market is cheaper than the prices quoted by the empanelled companies.
Though many schools decided to go for the open market option, the attempt proved futile since they found it difficult to get the prescribed quality certificate. Hence, they have been forced to choose from any of the given patterns, which are visibly different from the uniform pattern being followed in the schools.
“It is difficult to get the prescribed certificate for those who opt for open market option. However, taking the risk, many schools opted to purchase from the open market to avoid the situation of having multiple uniforms in one school,” Sajeevan said. He added that the authorities were compelling school heads to purchase uniforms from the empaneled companies only. A teacher in Ernakulam, on condition of anonymity, said that the PTA at the school where she teaches, has been struggling to find a solution to the crisis of multiple uniforms. She said they were trying to find some sponsors for buying uniform for those who do not come under the purview of the scheme, and thus maintain the dress code uniformity.
Responding to the issue, Director of Public Instruction (DPI) P I Sheik Pareeth told ‘Express’ that the issue has not been brought to his attention. He added that necessary action will be taken to resolve the issue, if any such anomalies are found.