SMCs and SMDCs have to submit UCs by March 15, 2025
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: SSA (Samagra Shiksha, Assam) has issued guidelines for the procurement and distribution of uniforms to all students from Class I to Class VIII of government and provincialised lower primary (LP), upper primary (UP) and composite schools for the coming academic session. The guidelines have made it clear in no uncertain terms those vendors supplying substandard uniforms will be debarred from getting uniform-supplying orders for three consecutive years.
According to the guidelines, each student should get two pairs of good-quality uniforms within a ceiling of Rs 600 within February 2025. In the event any vendor is not able to supply uniforms within the stipulated time, it will be debarred from getting a uniform supply order for the next three years.
The colour specifications, according to the guidelines, are white shirts and blue half pants. However, school SMCs (school management committees) and SMDCs (school management development committees) have the liberty to decide the procurement of one pair of yellow/blue/black/green/red T-shirts and one lower in place of one half-pant/pant/shirt. The schools have the option to procure one track pant out of two full pants. The students will wear the second pair of uniforms on Saturdays only. The uniform, according to the guidelines, will have the SSA logo on the pockets of shirts, kameejs, and kurtas. However, for the students of PMSHRI schools, the pockets of shirts, kameejs, and kurtas should have the PMSHRI logos instead of SSA logos.
The guidelines have made it a point that in the event of any supplier failing in the laboratory testing of the quality of the fabric of the uniform, he or she will not get the payment for those particular lots of uniforms. This is not all. The suppliers failing the test will be debarred from getting uniform supply orders for three consecutive years. Going by this guideline, the uniform suppliers, who supplied substandard uniforms last year as per the laboratory test of the Assam Textile Institute, will not get a supply order this year. The SSA will randomly check and monitor the quality of uniforms to be supplied by each of the vendors.
According to the guidelines, SSA will upload details of vendors of school uniforms and the schools they will supply in the Shiksha Setu portal. In the event of supplied uniforms not being in conformity with the specifications given, the supplier concerned will not get the payment, and he or she will have to supply uniforms afresh by meeting all specifications.
The guidelines have made it crystal clear for the SMCs and SMDCs that they will have to submit utilisation certificates by March 15, 2025, to their block accountants concerned.
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