Sehore (Madhya Pradesh): Six months have passed since the academic session of 23-24 has started, but the government schools have failed to provide uniforms to the students because of the financial crunch the School Education Department (SED) is facing. Women self-help groups (SGHs) have been asked to stitch uniforms.
Many students are absenting themselves from schools, since they have not been provided with uniforms, sources in the SED said. The students had to take part in the Independence Day function in 2023 in normal outfits due to lack of uniforms. The students took the half-yearly examinations without uniforms and, now, the Republic Day is around the corner.
1.86 lakh uniforms to be made
The National Livelihood Mission (NLRM), under which women self-help groups (SHGs) in the district function, has been asked to make uniforms. Sources in the SED said the SHGs were asked to make 1.86 lakh dresses. Nearly 108 groups have registered themselves on the portal for making school dress. There are 8,500 registered SHGs in the district.
In the previous academic session, 63 SHGs made 1.40 lakh uniforms and received Rs 4 crore for it, official sources said.
1.5 lakh children wait for uniform
When the children are in their uniforms, they look smarter and more confident than in their usual outfits, some teachers said. According to data available at SED in the district, 1.5 lakh students are studying in classes from 1 to 8 during the current academic session.
The number includes 49,455 boys and 55,779 girls. There are 1,320 primary and 684 secondary schools in the district. NLRM’s district project manager Dinesh Barfa said the SGHs had registered themselves in the portal.
The Rajya Siksha Kendra has yet to allocate a budget to the department, and soon as it is released, uniform-making work will begin, he said. District project coordinator RA Uike said the administration was dealing with the case in Bhopal. In the previous academic sessions, several letters were sent to NRLM for providing uniforms to the students in city areas, but nothing had been done, he said.
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