Uniform procurement: reasons for delay not discussed at meet

With several schools unable to attract bidders to their tenders for procuring school uniforms, the UT education department called a meeting on Tuesday to review the situation.

With several schools unable to attract bidders to their tenders for procuring school uniforms, the UT education department called a meeting on Tuesday to review the situation.

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The meeting, chaired by district education officer RK Sharma saw several officials of the department and heads of government schools attend it. Schools which were yet to float their fourth tender were told to do so “at the earliest”.

A school head who attended the meeting, however said that there was no discussion about the reason for the delay in procurement of the school uniform or the growing discontent of government schools with the existing procurement policy. With schools already reopened and no solution in sight, several schools seek the intervention of senior officials in the issue.

This would be the third consecutive delay in procuring the uniforms in over a year. Last year, the process of purchasing summer uniforms concluded in October, while several schools distributed last winter uniforms only in March this year.

This year with nearly 50% of the city’s 106 government schools not getting adequate response to their first three attempts, many have already issued yet another tender.

“It’s high time the department reviews the policy and change its mode of procurement to plug delays,” said a school head.Over one lakh students from Chandigarh government schools are eligible to receive free school uniforms under the Right to Education Act, 2009.