Winter uniforms: Parents fume at schools’ ‘designated shops’ dictat

were taken aback to see long queues for winter uniforms when in the evening they reached at these shops to buy their uniform set.

In Panchkula,a shop in Sector 7 was seen crowded with more than hundred parents who were asked to form a queue in order to get their quickly. When asked from them,it was revealed that they were instructed from the schools to buy from this particular shop only.

“The school has specifically mentioned to buy the uniform from this shop as otherwise there would be difference in colour shade,school badge,etc. My wife and I have been standing in turns in the queue for more an hour,” revealed one of the parents who is a resident of Manimajra and whose daughter is in Class II,Sacred Heart School,Sector 26 Chandigarh.

Similar views were shared by another parent. “The parents have been asked to buy the entire uniform set from this particular shop. To avoid any objection from the school authorities in case we buy uniform from any other shop which would be a waste of money too,it is preferred by most of the parents to buy from this shop only despite standing for hours in the queue,” revealed a father of a student of Nursery in Manav Mangal School,Sector 11.

The entire winter school uniform set costs somewhere around Rs 1,200-4,000. While the schools and the shop owners denied of any such instructions,the parents could be seen at the receiving end.

The scene was no different in Chandigarh. A school uniform shop in Sector 22 was visited by parents in large number,especially in the evening till the time when the shop closed around 8:30 pm. This was the scenario that after seeing such a huge rush at the shop most of the parents returned without buying the uniform.

A mother of a student of KG in St Kabir School,Sector 26 shared her harrowing time in buying a set for her child. “As today was the first day of winter school uniform,I visited the shop on Friday to get a set for my daughter. Due to huge demand as the schools had instructed to buy from this shop only,there was a shortage of uniforms. Since it was compulsory to wear the winter uniform today,I got it stitched in day after paying almost the double amount.”