Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The Samagra Shiksha Assam has issued a directive to all district education authorities, instructing them to conduct mandatory laboratory tests of school uniforms supplied for the 2025–26 academic year. The order, issued by Samagra Shiksha Assam (SSA), is aimed at ensuring that the uniforms delivered by vendors meet the prescribed quality standards.
According to the directive, vendors have already begun supplying uniforms to schools across the state. To verify quality and compliance with mandated standards, district officials have been asked to randomly collect uniform samples from each lot and batch delivered. These samples must undergo testing at lab test centres in institutions equipped with chemistry laboratories, especially in higher secondary schools, senior secondary schools, colleges, or any other suitable institution.
The directive stated that the expenditure for the lab tests can be met from the school grant of each school. District Mission Offices and Inspectors of Schools have been instructed to maintain detailed records of all lab test reports by maintaining proper registers.
The order directs all district offices to examine the lab test results and notify the schools and vendors concerned. If any lab test report is not found to be in order, the same has to be rectified by the School Management Committee (SMC) or School Management and Development Committee (SMDC) concerned through the vendor. In case any uniform fails to meet quality norms, the vendors are required to immediately replace the defective items. A second round of testing will then be conducted by the SMC/SMDC, and the results have to be forwarded to the State Mission Office (SMO).
The directive further states that no payment will be made to vendors unless the uniforms pass both district-level and state-level quality tests. District offices have to compulsorily send one set of samples from each lot and batch to the SMO for additional verification.
The SMO has to communicate its test results back to the districts. Vendors failing to replace poor-quality uniforms as directed may face strict action, including debarment from future procurement processes.
The order emphasizes that timely action by district authorities will help ensure that all students receive safe, durable, and high-quality uniforms.
It needs to be mentioned that free school uniform distribution for the 2025-26 academic year in Assam involves providing two pairs of uniforms to students in Classes I to VIII of government and provincialised LP, UP and composite schools (elementary level) through the SSA. The procurement is handled by the SMCs/SMDCs and has to be completed by December 31, 2025.
The two pairs of free uniforms provided to all the students for the year 2025-2026 are to be used for the academic year 2026-27.
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