Education Dept to check quality of uniforms at its head office

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, April 17

The Education Department has decided to check the quality of uniforms distributed among 12.76 lakh government school students at its head office. Earlier, it ordered to test the quality of uniforms at the district level.

As every district do not have laboratories to check the quality of the uniforms, so it would be made a head office level, reads a letter of the Education Department received by the District Education Officer (DEO).

To distribute winter uniforms among 12.76 lakh government school students in the state, the Education Department had selected three private companies — Khadim India Ltd, Manjeet Plastic Industries and Unifab Textiles.

To monitor the quality of these uniforms, the department had constituted district-level committees that included the DEO, Deputy DEO and two textile engineers as their members.

All expenses of testing samples of uniforms were to be borne by the companies supplying the uniforms and it was to be done at district labs.

The testing had to monitor the polyester, cotton and other fabrics ratio and quality in the uniform.

The Education Department has fixed Rs600 per student for purchasing the uniform.

The beneficiaries include all girl students and boy students belonging to the SC and BPL category in government schools from Classes I to VIII. The scheme is funded by the Union Human Resource Development Ministry. A set of uniform includes a trouser, a shirt, a pair of shoes, socks, a cap or turban and a sweater for boys and a kameez, salwar, dupatta, sweater, a pair of shoes and socks for girls.

Of the total 12,76,303 students eligible for the uniform, 7,12,794 are girls, 77,997 are boys belonging to the BPL category and 4,85,512 are SC boys.