Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (MS)

Bengaluru, Jul 10: The state BJP government had to face severe criticism from opposition parties following its refusal to provide shoes and socks to the students of government schools prompting the government to announce release of funds. But it seems this has been done only to throw mud on the eyes of the opposition parties and not for the real benefit of students of government schools.

Government has come out with an order and released funds of Rs 132 crore for the purchase of shoes and socks to students studying from first to tenth grades in government schools. However, the price quoted per student is the same as that was quoted five years ago. This order, which seems to have taken out in haste to silence the opposition parties has made the teachers of government schools to seek donations from private organisations and philanthropists to make up for the shortfall in the amount.

The order of the government also says that if government schools can get donations from philanthropists and other social organisations, then the school can buy quality shoes and socks for its students. This is like literally asking the teachers of government schools to beg for contributions from donors in society.

The BJP government which is making one error after the other in taking administrative decisions has made another one in its order to buy shoes and socks.

It had earlier released an order in which the government run schools were asked to seek help of donors to get the study improvement sheets photocopied. Later it was withdrawn after opposition parties cried foul.

In the past five years, the prices of raw materials for shoes and socks in addition to petrol and diesel have shot up by several folds. In such a context, quoting a rate that existed five years ago shows the inept governance of the state government causing frustration among the teachers of government schools.

In 2019, the BJP government had asked the government schools to provide quality shoes and socks to students from prestigious companies of the country like Bata, Liberty, Lancer, Paragon, Corona, Action and Lakani. However, in the order of 2022, there is no mention of branded products at all.
In open market, a pair of shoe costs Rs 425. This means that there is a shortfall of Rs 160 per student in the grants that is released by the state government.

In 2017-18, the then government had released grants of Rs 129.84 crore for the same cause. It seems that the current BJP regime has copied the same without considering the present market rates.

Now the teachers of government schools have to run behind donors to make up for the shortfall in the amount needed to provide good quality shoe and socks to students.