Kids to get ready-made uniforms

South Corporation planning to give clothes instead of money

South Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to give ready-made uniforms instead of cash to students of municipal schools for the upcoming academic session.

Currently, the corporations are giving a grant of Rs 500 to each student to buy uniform every year.

The officials said the decision was taken to ensure that the money given for uniform is used for right purpose.

Satish Upadhyay, chairman of education committee said the practice of giving cash was started to avoid criticism of financial bungling in uniform procurement process.

However, in the process another problem has surfaced, he said.

“Most of the students come from the lower strata and there are complaints that their parents use the money for other purposes,” Upadhyay, said.

Standing committee chairman Rajesh Gehlot has constituted a three-member committee to finalise dress design.

The corporation will rope in National Institute of Fashion Technology to finalise the design of the school uniform, the official said.

The committee includes leader of House Subhash Arya, leader of the Opposition Farhad Suri and education committee chairman Satish Upadyay. Corporation officials said they will rope in four companies to supply readymade uniforms.

The chairman said the corporation is planning to give contract to four vendors – one each for four administrative zones.

Upadhyay said this will bring in transparency and added that giving contract to one vendor will cause delay and uniforms cannot be distributed on time.

The corporation has also decided to hire Delhi University students on a part time basis to teach art and music to school students.

“Hiring special teachers on a permanent basis takes time. So we have decided to hire students of arts and music from Delhi University to train students. We are already in talks with some of the colleges,” Upadhyay said.

 Apart from monetary benefits, the university students will also get exposure in teaching.
With standing committee clearing proposals of the education committee, education department officials said, they have enough money to execute the new programmes during the next fiscal.

The education committee had proposed a total expenditure outlay of around Rs 20 crore for the new schemes.

This will increase the budgetary allocation to the education sector for the financial year 2013-14 to Rs 638.31 crore.

The SDMC commissioner Manish Gupta in budget proposals had allocated Rs 617.53 crore. The officials said the outlay on education sector is around 25 per cent of the total expenditure outlay of the corporation.