Dharwad: The Karnataka government’s decision to centralise the procurement of shoes and socks for government school students has come under scrutiny after footwear supplied to children in Dharwad reportedly began tearing within days.
Parents have questioned the quality of the shoes supplied this academic year, pointing out that some students were forced to wear damaged footwear barely a week after receiving the pairs.
The controversy follows the government’s change to the procurement mechanism for the free shoe and sock distribution scheme. Unlike previous years, when individual schools purchased footwear locally, this year the government invited tenders at the state level for procurement and supply.
The government spends crores of rupees annually on the scheme, which aims to provide free shoes and socks to children studying in government schools.
Under the earlier system, school development committees and headmasters were responsible for purchasing the footwear. Funds were released according to the student strength of individual schools.
Local suppliers were also required to meet certain conditions, including having at least three years of experience in the footwear trade and possessing GST registration.
Parents said the arrangement provided a degree of local accountability. Since suppliers were based in the same area, they could be contacted directly when there were complaints about the quality or size of the footwear.
The new state-level procurement system, however, has taken the purchase process away from individual schools.
Parents have alleged that this may have resulted in inadequate scrutiny of the quality of footwear supplied to schools, especially those in rural and remote areas.
The delay in distribution has added to their concerns. Although the academic year began around three months ago, students received the shoes and socks only recently.
Parents said it was particularly disappointing that children who had waited several months for the footwear were now having to attend school in torn shoes.
The school authorities have said the problem has been noticed only among some students and that arrangements have been made to replace damaged footwear.
However, parents have sought a comprehensive inspection of the shoes distributed across schools in the district.
They have also demanded that education department officials verify whether the footwear supplied by the contractor meets the quality specifications laid down in the tender.
The incident has raised questions over whether centralised procurement is delivering better value for public money and whether adequate mechanisms are in place to monitor suppliers after the products reach schools.
Parents have urged the authorities to ensure immediate replacement of defective shoes and take action against suppliers if violations of prescribed standards are established.
This post was last modified on September 6, 2026 3:52 pm