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Education

In Rural Bundelkhand, the Promised Winter Uniforms Are yet to Arrive

At the onset of winters, the UP government had announced that children attending government primary and upper primary schools would be given winter uniforms for free. That promise remains unfulfilled in much of the state. 

Kisi ko nahi mila (Nobody’s got them)”, says nine-year-old Satyam, a student of a government primary school and a resident of Chilla village in Banda district of Bundelkhand, offering a nutshell view of a lack that is prevalent in the entire state.

At the onset of winters, the UP government had announced that children attending government primary and upper primary schools would be given winter uniforms for free – the “kit” was to include sweaters, shoes and a pair of socks. But all through December and now mid-January, unarguably the coldest months of the season, the children of Chilla gaon have been braving the cold in school day after day, in a terrible remake of ‘Waiting for Godot’.

“We’re shivering in our classrooms. But we have been coming every day, hoping that the sweater distribution would be on the agenda”, says 11-year-old Sarita.

In the week of the Annual Status of Education Report – that has confirmed to us all the abysmal state of state education in rural India at large – the dearth of proper clothing should not come as a surprise. Indeed, Khabar Lahariya has reported on several other lacks in our districts earlier too.

Even so, the numbers are shocking. According to a Hindustan Times report, the percentage of students in Lucknow who have received free sweaters is estimated to be 10%. If this is the state in the capital, what we are witnessing in rural Bundelkhand is hardly a surprise.

According to Ramsanehi, the headmaster at Chilla’s primary school who’s been waiting for the promised winter kits as well. “Half of January has come and gone. The mornings are so cold and foggy. They should be getting these sweaters and socks now.”

The village pradhan, Sumedha, raises some crucial questions, “These are young children, what if they fall sick?”, he asks and puts it aptly, “Warm clothing, in this weather, is essential.”

Ramsanehi adapts a sarcastic tone next, “When will these uniforms arrive? In the summers? Garmiyon ka intezaar hai kya (Are they waiting for summers)?”

Meanwhile, Sarita and her girl gang chuckle out loud when asked what they think about it, “Of course, we need them now!”, they chime in unison.

Sourcing and buying responsibilities of the uniforms lie with the school management committees, but in schools in tiny hamlets such as Chilla, these are not so much committees as a one-man/woman show.

More often than not, the shiksha adhikaris are expected to be doing the running-around and in UP they have been busy fighting battles more pertinent to them – figuring out that identical sweaters for the children would hardly count among top priorities.

The price has been another issue with the UP government failing to excite suppliers who find the 200-rupee-per-sweater price tag too low – this had resulted in a paucity of tenders. Add to that the numbers – estimates suggest 1.54 crore school-going students in the state – and the lack achieves gargantuan proportions.

When we speak to Mahaveer Prabhari, the local block resource co-ordinator, he sounds stoic. “They must be on their way”, he suggests, adding, “If they arrive, we will of course have them sent off.”

As the country celebrates harvest festivals that traditionally mark the end of the winters in Indian calendars across cultures, in a small village, the need – and hope – that comes tied up in a pair of socks continues to be pressing. As eight-year-old Ranno says, smiling, “I have been coming to school and attending my lessons in the hope that it would mean getting a free sweater.”

Khabar Lahariya is a rural, video-first digital news organisation with an all-women network of reporters in eight districts of Uttar Pradesh.