The decision of the UT Education Department to ask government schools to invite tenders to find out suppliers for the school uniforms seems to have fallen flat.

After getting the instructions, the schools had floated the tenders, but to no effect. The UT Education Department asked the schools to re-float the tenders, but yet again this yielded no results.

Already the second date of re-tendering of some of the government schools is over while in certain schools, the last date is March 22. Earlier, the UT Education Department used to buy uniforms in bulk and distribute to the schools respectively.

A three-member high-powered committee consisting UT Finance Secretary V K Singh, Secretary, Tourism, D K Tiwari and Chairman, Housing Board, Satya Gopal had decided that school management committees will be authorised to invite the tenders for the purchase of the school uniforms and that they would have a fixed price ceiling of the uniforms - Rs 300 for Class I to V and Rs 375 for Class VI to VIII.

Not only this, the committee had also instructed certain tests that were to be adhered to by the suppliers before manufacturing the uniforms. The committee had specified a special `yarn` to be chosen for making the uniforms and certain chemical and mechanical tests that the uniforms were required to clear.

However, the government school managements are of the view that it is the low price and certain tests that are acting as a deterrent for suppliers.

Director Public Instructions (DPI) (Schools) Upkar Singh said, "The decision of putting the price cap was taken to bring uniformity. Moreover, whenever government has to spend money, it always decide to generate maximum output off it as it has to spend public money for their welfare."

"Yes we had asked the schools to re-float the tender. We still have time so we can wait and if it does not happen, we can re-consider the decision," he added.

Dr Vinod Sharma, president of the Government Teachers` Union (GTU), said that they appreciate the decision of the UT Education Department to decentralise the power, but somehow no suppliers are coming forward. Authorities can always transfer the amount into the accounts of the students.