Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Parents of students of leading private schools in the city are being forced to buy uniforms for their children at exorbitant prices from select outlets. Besides, the schools prescribe different uniforms for different days of the week, adding to the burden of the parents.

According to the Madhya Pradesh Fees Regulation Act 2020, managements of private schools “will not force students or parents either formally or informally to buy uniforms, ties, shoes etc. from selected vendors. Students or parents will be free to purchase these materials from the open market.”

The ground situation, however, is different. Though the schools do not directly tell the parents to buy uniforms from a particular shop or shops, the uniforms are available only at select outlets.

The parents do not have the option to get the uniforms stitched as the cloth of the type, shade and design prescribed by the schools is not available in the open market nor can they find the school mono, which is part of the uniform, anywhere.

Payal Mehta, whose daughter is a Class 10 student at a leading school, “The school doesn’t say go to this shop. But the uniform is available only at one shop or a few shops. So, we have no choice,” adding that naturally, there is no scope for bargaining at these shops.

Moreover, the prices of uniforms are hiked by 20% to 30% (in some cases even 50%) every year. The Fee Regulation Act caps the increase in tuition fee at 10% per annum but there is no such stipulation with regard to school uniforms. The prices are increased arbitrarily. S N Sharma, a road construction supervisor had to spend ₹12,000 for buying two sets of uniform and a pair of shoes for his Grade-7 student son.

Pinky Verma, a homemaker, says that the uniform of her son, who studies in Class 8, cost her ₹6,000. “Along with school bag and shoes, I had to spend more than ₹10,000,” she says.

The Fee Regulation Act says that the schools cannot change their uniforms not more than once every three years. Though most schools follow this stipulation, the parents are still burdened by being forced to buy different uniforms for different days. There are changes in uniform depending on the ‘House’ of the students.

What about RTE students?

General Secretary of Palak Mahasangh, Prabodh Pandya said "The government should ensure that the prices of uniforms are not increased arbitrarily every year and that they are available in the open market. No shop or chain of shops should have a monopoly. Let us remember that students from the RTE quota also study at private schools. How can we expect their parents to spend thousands of rupees on uniforms?"