Uniforms delayed, many students attend school in casual clothes across Maha

Pune: More than a month after the academic year began, several students studying in municipal and zilla parishad schools across Maharashtra are attending classes without their new uniforms, exposing a recurring problem in procurement and distribution by local civic bodies.The delay, reported from several municipal corporations and ZPs, has once again highlighted poor planning despite repeated assurances that students would receive essential learning materials before schools reopened. Civic bodies are racing to distribute the uniforms before Independence Day.Officials in several civic bodies have attributed the delays to late tender approvals, delayed work orders, election- related restrictions and reduced execution time for contractors. In many cases, contractors have sought extensions after failing to meet deadlines, while education departments have issued notices and initiated penalty clauses under contract conditions.A senior official from the state school education department said the responsibility for procurement lies with individual municipal corporations.“The issue largely relates to procurement by individual municipal corporations and local bodies. We have told the authorities to expedite the distribution process and ensure students receive uniforms at the earliest. Delays should not recur year after year, and civic bodies must strengthen advance planning,” the official said.Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Association has written to the state school education department, demanding a time-bound procurement and distribution mechanism to ensure uniforms reach students before the start of every academic year.“The delay in distributing school uniforms has become an annual problem across Maharashtra. We have written to the school education department seeking a time-bound mechanism for procurement so that uniforms reach schools before the academic year begins. Students from economically weaker families should not have to wait for basic entitlements every year,” Vijay Kombe, state president of the association, said.The issue has surfaced across civic schools where newly admitted students are attending classes in home clothes while existing students continue to wear old uniforms. Parents have questioned why the same problem resurfaces every year despite contracts being awarded well before the start of the academic session.“Children feel awkward when some come in uniform while newly admitted students attend classes in casual clothes. It creates an unnecessary distinction among students. Uniforms should be available on the first day of school, not months later,” said Ankush Kore, headmaster of a ZP school in Latur.“We spend a lot of time answering parents’ questions about when the uniforms will arrive, but schools have no control over the procurement process. Every year, we are forced to give the same explanation which reflects poor planning rather than a logistical challenge,” Anwar Shaikh, a municipal school teacher from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.The delay also stands in contrast to the state’s efforts to modernise municipal education through English medium schools, digital classrooms, robotics laboratories and artificial intelligence-based learning. Educationists say while investments in infrastructure are important, uniforms should reach students before the first day of school.