Chandigarh, May 21:
Punjab School Education Minister Mr. Vijay Inder Singla said that as many as 13,48,632 government school students will be receiving free uniforms at their homes for the academic session i.e. 2021-22 as grants of Rs. 80.92 crore have been released by the education department. The cabinet minister said after sanctioning the required grant, detailed directions have also been issued to all district education officers for the proper arrangements of the uniforms and have also been asked to precisely follow the safety protocol while distributing uniforms to students. He added that the funds will be credited to the School Management Committees (SMCs) for the purchase of uniforms.
Mr. Vijay Inder Singla said, “Captain Amarinder Singh led state government has continuously been taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of the students amid Covid-19 pandemic. Apart from providing the uniform at doorsteps, no students will be called in the schools for measurements. Instead, the staff would obtain the size from parents and provide free uniforms as per desired sizes.”
He added that the SMCs have also been asked to provide two masks to each student for their personal safety in view of the pandemic.
The education minister, on Friday, approved the budget of Rs. 80.92 crore to provide free uniforms to students from class I to VIII in government schools. While divulging further details, the cabinet minister informed that all girls studying in these classes and SC/ST/BPL category boys will be given free uniforms at the cost of Rs. 600 per uniform. He added that out of total 13,48,632 students, 7,65,024 are girl students while 5,08,436 are SC category boys and 75,172 are boys from BPL category.
Mr Singla said that the parameters for the purchase of quality uniform have already been fixed and there would be no interference of officials of the education department and neither would they issue any direction, verbal or written, to any SMC for the purchase of uniforms from any particular vendor or place.
“If any official found interfering with the purchase process, strict disciplinary action will be taken against the official found guilty,” he added.
The cabinet minister said that the boys will be given shirts, trousers, turban (patka) or caps, sweaters, socks and shoes and girl students will be given shirts-pants or salwar-kameez; sweaters, shoes and socks. He added that shirt-pants are optional for girl students of primary classes while salwar-kameej will be mandatory as the part of free uniform for girls of upper-primary classes.
