Education Dept Orders Probe Into Poor Quality Shoes, Socks in Govt Schools

The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has ordered an inquiry into allegations that poor quality shoes and socks were distributed to government school children, shortly after Upalokayukta Justice K.N. Phaneendra directed that a suo motu case be registered in the matter.

Under the order, district-level inquiry committees will be set up by the Chief Executive Officers of zilla panchayats to inspect the quality of footwear supplied to students of classes 1 to 10 in government schools. Officials or staff selected for these committees must not belong to the DSEL.

The committees have been given 10 days to complete their verification and submit reports. Once the district-wise findings are received, the department Commissioner will compile a State-level consolidated report and place it before the government.

The inquiry follows complaints that shoes tore or their soles separated within days of use, that footwear was oversized or ill-fitting, and that socks showed similar defects. These grievances raised doubts over whether the supplied products and the agencies involved held the required certification, prompting the department to seek an independent verification.

Each team must visit at least 25% of the schools in its district. Inspectors have been asked to look for delamination or peeling of soles, loose stitching near the toe or heel, and whether the upper material matches tender specifications or whether synthetic material has been used. The thickness of the material is also to be checked.

Spot measurements of the shoes will be taken to establish whether ill-fitting footwear was distributed. The teams must additionally verify the lot number, certification from the Footwear Design and Development Institute, and the pre-dispatch inspection certificate.

Photographs of the verification process are to be taken and attached to the reports.