Kolkata: Return-to-school plans hit uniform-size hurdle – Times of India

A school being dusted ahead of reopening

KOLKATA: Ankita Mukherjee was relieved hearing about the reopening of schools from November 16 as her son, who is in the Xth standard, was growing increasingly restless and had started showing disinterest in other activities. But she was in a for a shock when she discovered he had outgrown his uniform.
This is not a one-off case. Several parents are faced with this dilemma where their children have outgrown their uniforms and shoes in the last 20 months since schools and colleges shut down in March 2020. Lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle and binge eating induced by boredom along with natural growth in mid-teens have meant that many students in the higher classes have outgrown their uniforms.
Parents are scrambling to purchase new uniform, blazers, pullovers and shoes at the last moment as none of the schools has said that students can attend classes in casuals. “It did not cross my mind earlier but earlier this week, when I took out my son’s uniform from the closet, I realised he will not fit into it. My fears came true when I made him wear it,” said Mukherjee, a resident of Maniktala.
Ankit Pachisia will have to purchase a pair of school shoes and a pair of sports shoes for school. “A couple of days ago, I took out my shoes to polish them and tried wearing them. I realised that they were not fitting me anymore. I wore school shoes after almost 20 months,” said Pachisia.
Parents are faced with another dilemma. By the time November starts, most schools shift to winter uniforms with full sleeves and blazers. But this time, schools have not mentioned anything yet about students wearing winter uniforms though morning chill has already set in. “So we are not sure if we should buy the winter uniform or not,” said Sunita Banerjee Sarkar, whose son studies in a school off the EM Bypass.
Parents will also have to purchase some spare sets of uniforms due to the pandemic. “If there are three or four sets of uniforms, it will be easier to wash and sanitise them,”said another parent.
Schools say they are as much in the dark as the parents about how the situation will unfold in the coming few days. “Everything depends on how the Covid situation is in the next few weeks. Earlier this year, too, we,tried reopening, but the second wave undid all the plans. If we tell parents to buy new uniforms and schools have to be shut again after a few days, students will outgrow even the new uniforms. So, at this juncture, it is meaningless to say anything about uniforms,” said the principal of a central Kolkata school.