The state government appears to have bypassed its own order on the supply of shoes to school children, raising quality concerns.
The order issued by the School Education and Literacy department during the 2019-20 academic year for the supply of shoes, had mandated a supply of ‘branded’ shoes and also given the list of around 15 brands to choose from - which included - Bata, Liberty, Paragon, Lancer, Carona, Action and Lakhani.
This year, the order simply says ‘quality shoes’.
Following complaints about the quality of shoes supplied during 2018-19 academic year, the department had specified to supply branded shoes and the then minister S Suresh Kumar had even ordered an inquiry into the alleged supply of poor-quality school shoes. He had warned the School Development and Monitoring Committees (SDMC) of action, if the quality was poor.
It can also be recalled that when N Mahesh was holding the portfolio, he had personally verified the quality of shoes during his visit to some schools in Chamarajanagar district. The action came following several complaints from elected representatives about the quality of shoes supplied.
The order issued by the department for the supply of shoes asks the schools to accept contributions from donors and provide better quality shoes. “Even during the 2017-18 academic year, the rate per pair of shoes was the same as mentioned in the order this year. How can we ensure quality when the department has not provided sufficient funds?” said a SDMC chairman of a school in Hassan district.
“The cost of the shoes has doubled in the market in the last five years. But, the department is still sticking to old price, which has become difficult for us to ensure quality,” said another SDMC member.
The state government has been supplying a pair of shoes and two sets of socks to schoolchildren between grade 1 to 10 since 2015, with over 45 lakh beneficiaries.
“There are people ready to provide quality shoes even for a lesser price and we have even asked the SDMCs to procure from Lidkar. No need to worry about the quality of shoes and they will definitely last for one year,” School Education and Literacy Minister B C Nagesh said.