HT Correspondent
AGARTALA, Sept 12: Tripura Pradesh Congress on Friday had strongly condemned the state government’s decision to implement a fixed school uniform policy across all government schools, alleging that the move will further burden poor families and collapse the state’s education system.
According to the new guideline, the purpose of the policy is to maintain consistency and a unified identity among schools of the same category. However, the Pradesh Congress has argued that the measure will push education further out of reach for economically weaker sections.
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”Since the BJP government came to power, the cost of education has steadily increased, making it nearly impossible for children from poor families to continue their studies,” the party said in a statement.
The Congress further alleged that under the Vidyajyoti Scheme, students are charged ₹1,200 annually with “false promises” of better education, which violates the Right to Education Act. The party claimed that this has already contributed to a rising number of school dropouts.
The fresh directive will require students from Classes 9 to 12 to purchase new uniforms again, a move the Congress described as “unjust and insensitive.”
Additionally, the party warned that the policy would harm local cloth traders who traditionally supplied school uniforms, as the Education Department is now expected to route procurement through a specific contractor. “This opens the door to corruption and money laundering,” the Pradesh Congress alleged.
Demanding immediate withdrawal of the decision, the Congress called upon the government to prioritise affordable education instead of imposing additional financial burdens on families.
