Govt scraps ‘one state, one uniform’ policy; SMCs will decide on colour, design

But according to the latest Government Resolution (GR) issued Wednesday by the school education department, the SMCs will not only stitch and distribute uniforms but now will also decide on its colour and design.

This reinstates the original practice followed for many years, before the concept of centralised uniform was implemented this academic year. Students in government schools across the state are provided free uniforms under the scheme jointly run by the central government-funded Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and state government.

“It is decided that its implementation should once again be taken care of by the School Management Committees (SMCs), as was done previously. Timely funds will be provided for the same. The SMCs should approve colour and design for the uniform. If any school offers ‘scout and guide’ as a subject their respective SMC should decide on the uniforms to be used for those days based on the colour scheme prescribed by the Scout and Guide organisation,” states the GR.

The GR further said that the SMCs should ensure that the fabric of the uniform is of good quality and does not harm students’ skin and is not made of complete polyester.

“The local education officers and other representatives will conduct random inspections of the uniforms distributed at school levels to ensure quality. If any substandard fabric is found during these inspections, the responsible SMC will be held accountable,” it said.

The “one state, one uniform” policy was declared last year by the then school education minister Deepak Kesarkar.

Under the policy, the state government will not only decide the uniform including its design and colour combination but would also ensure centralised stitching and distribution of uniforms to be provided to multiple lakhs of students studying in government schools across the state.

Despite widespread criticism from stakeholders, it was decided to implement it from academic year 2024-25 and it was marred with controversies starting from delays in distribution of uniforms followed by various issues related to standards of fabric used, stitches and size errors.

After a prolonged delay, when uniforms finally reached schools, many instances were reported of students receiving uniforms which had poor-quality cloth, torn cloth or were unfit. This led to revision of the scheme in December 2024, in which SMCs were directed to manage stitching and distributing uniforms .

The scrapping of the policy has been welcomed by various stakeholders.

Mahendra Ganpule, former vice president of the Maharashtra School Principals’ Association, said, “This decentralisation is welcome. It empowers schools to make timely and quality decisions tailored to their unique needs.”

Vijay Kombe, state president for Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Association, said, “Restoring the old system by scrapping ‘one state one uniform’ scheme will end issues such as delays and poor quality uniforms.”