After huge criticism by various stakeholders, including parents over delay in distribution of school uniforms to students in earlier academic sessions, the State Government, on Friday, re-adopted the Old Policy, with some modification, to distribute same uniform to all students of Government schools free of charge under ‘One State, One Uniform’ Policy. Under the policy, the State Government will standardised uniforms for students of Class 1 to 8 across all Government schools in Maharashtra starting from the 2024-25 academic session. Till 2022-23, State Government allowed schools to choose uniforms of the students and in rural areas, clusters of schools maintained the dress code for students.

 

However, last year, the Government adopted the new scheme under which the State assigned the task of sewing uniforms to a self-help group registered under Maharashtra Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM). The self-help group failed to deliver uniforms to all schools on time which led to huge criticism among parents. Keeping the delay in mind, the Primary Education Department send a proposal to the government to readopt the old scheme in which the government provide schools to stitch the school uniform by their own and the government pay Rs 300 per uniform to the school. However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Friday gave the green signal to the Primary Education Department to distribute free uniforms of same colour and same design to all schools students under the ‘One State, One Uniform’ Policy for the next academic session.

 

“The self-help-group which got the work to provide two uniforms to every school student last year, are yet to provide the second uniform even after completion of the half session. The School Management Committees (SMC) and parents are complaining to the department due to delay in supply. Therefore, we send the proposal to Chief Minister to readopt the previous policy,” said a senior officer of education department to ‘The Hitavada’. This decision will benefit 44 lakh government school students in the state and it will adopted in the next academic session, said the officer. The new policy will allow underprivileged students to get their uniform free of cost. The State Government will provide fund to SMCs for stitching of same type of uniform for their students. Government will provide the fund to school through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), said the officer.