Delay in government school uniforms due to elections

Bengaluru: Government schools in the State seem to have been the most affected by the uncertainty of the Assembly elections. New sets of uniforms will not reach government school students before the academic year commences by the end of May. The reason for this delay in issuing work orders is the absence of a stable government and the ensuing political drama.

Sources from the Department of Public Instruction have reported that close to 19 lakh students in government schools in Mysuru and Belagavi districts will not be getting their uniforms as the work order for that has not yet been issued. In Bengaluru and Kalaburagi, around 24 lakh students will receive their uniforms, probably by the end of the month.

President of the Karnataka State Government Primary School Teachers’ Association, Basavaraj Gurikar, said that the Education Department ought to have completed all the required tasks before the code of conduct for the elections came into place. He feels that students from impoverished backgrounds will bear the brunt of the political mess of the State. Now, the Department of Public Instruction will have to seek permission from the State Election Commission before issuing the work order, since the code of conduct for the MLC elections is in force.

Additionally, 44.5 lakh students of government schools will have to wait longer to get their shoes and socks, since the Department of Primary and Secondary Education has not yet received its financial allocation from the Finance Department. After receiving the money, it will be transferred to the educational blocks, which will then be transferred to the School Development and Monitoring Committee who will procure the shoes and socks. It is unlikely that they will receive the allocation by this fortnight. Primary school teachers claim that most students outgrow their uniforms and shoes and therefore, will have to come to school wearing regular clothes.