More than half of Telangana government school students were still waiting for their new uniforms nearly three months into the 2026-27 academic year, with delays in cloth procurement and stitching also affecting the supply of shoes, socks and belts.
An indent for two pairs of uniforms was placed for more than 18.36 lakh students, but only 8,13,832 students, or 44.30 per cent, had received the first pair by September 15, according to a report by Telangana Today. The remaining 55.70 per cent were continuing to wear their old uniforms.
Under the state’s stated rules, students in government and government-run schools are to receive uniforms, textbooks and notebooks when schools reopen. The 2026-27 academic year began on June 15. The government had set September 1 as the deadline for distributing the first pair of uniforms, but students in several schools were still waiting two weeks after that deadline.
The delay followed a change in the procurement process. Instead of directly ordering uniform cloth from the Telangana Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society Limited, the School Education department joined a centralised procurement process with societies linked to social, tribal and BC welfare residential educational institutions, according to the report. The change delayed both cloth procurement and the subsequent stitching of uniforms.
The distribution gap was reported to be particularly severe in Wanaparthy and Jayashankar Bhupalpally districts, where no students had received their first pair of uniforms. This also meant that the second pair promised by the state government had not reached those students.
The state has changed the uniform colour for 2026-27 from maroon, red and ash to light blue and navy blue for students in government and local body schools. Students in Classes VI and VII have also been prescribed trousers instead of half-pants, while the shirt design remains unchanged.
Schools that received uniforms raised concerns about their quality and said the garments differed from what had been promised. A headmaster quoted anonymously in the report said the shirt fabric was thin and dull, the collars did not hold their shape properly for boys, and an additional lining was needed for girls. The headmaster also said that the promised availability of a tailor for alterations had not materialised.
The delays extend beyond clothing. Students in 10 districts Hanamkonda, Jogulamba Gadwal, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, Nagarkurnool, Narayanpet, Rajanna Sircilla, Sangareddy, Siddipet, Wanaparthy and Warangal were yet to receive a pair of shoes. Socks had not been supplied to schools in 18 districts, while belts were pending in 22 districts.
The distribution status of the remaining uniforms and accessories, and the steps being taken to complete supplies after the missed September 1 deadline, remain the immediate administrative issues for the School Education department.
