State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobi Hajjaj has said the government aims to begin distributing free uniforms and shoes to primary school students by August this year.
He made the remarks on Thursday during a meeting held at the ministry conference room with leading footwear brands in the country. The discussion was organized to explore the implementation of a free distribution programme of school uniforms and footwear for government primary school students.
The minister said the government intends to present visible progress of the pilot programme to the public by August this year, ahead of the completion of the first six months of the initiative.
He added that a phased plan has been taken to provide uniforms and shoes for around 1.7 crore government primary school students. As part of a 180-day initial programme, a pilot project is being implemented to assess the effectiveness of supplying quality uniforms and footwear to students.
According to him, major apparel industry associations in the country have already responded positively to the initiative, with more than 400,000 uniforms expected to be provided for the pilot phase. Cooperation is also being sought from footwear industry stakeholders.
During the meeting, it was initially discussed that white Velcro (strapless) sneakers would be supplied for first-grade students. Given that most first-grade students are around six years old, stakeholders were asked to provide feedback on appropriate sizing, variations, gender considerations, and supply capacity.
Bobi Hajjaj also urged relevant institutions to submit detailed information to the ministry regarding their possible contributions, delivery timelines, and production cost structures.
He further said that a long-term partnership between the government and the industry will be developed to ensure large-scale supply of shoes in the future.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, along with senior officials from leading footwear companies in the country.
