Telangana school uniforms: Revanth Reddy asks students to pick colours, designs
By Aditi KulkarniEducation Writer, Peepals Bharat
Representative image: sasint / Pixabay
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy on 4 November 2026 ordered student feedback on government school uniforms after a year of late supply.
What Happened
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has told officials to ask students in government schools what they think of the uniforms supplied to them, and to choose next year's colours and designs by the preference of the majority. The direction came at a review of uniform and student-kit distribution, reported on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. At the same meeting the state government accepted that this year's supply ran late, with nearly half the academic year gone, and the Chief Minister asked for a standard procedure and an action plan so that every uniform and kit reaches students on the first day of the next school year.
Key Facts
- The Chief Minister asked officials to collect student feedback on the quality, colours and designs of government school uniforms, and to finalise the options that most students prefer.
- He said the state should supply good-quality, attractive uniforms from the coming academic year.
- Officials told him that distribution of uniforms and other items, including ties, belts, identity cards, shoes, socks, plates, glasses, bowls, mats and school bags, was almost complete.
- Items handled by one or two supplying organisations had reached 95 per cent completion, officials said.
- He ordered the pending distribution to be finished without further delay, and asked for a standard operating procedure (a fixed, written set of steps) with strict timelines.
- In mid-September, figures reported from the department showed that only 8,13,832 students, or 44.30 per cent, of the more than 18.36 lakh students covered by the uniform order had received their first pair.
- Socks and belts had then not reached schools in 18 and 22 districts respectively, according to the same figures.
Why It Matters
Free uniforms are one of the most visible things a government school gives a child. For many families, a new set each year is part of what makes the government school a real choice against a low-fee private one. Telangana's own officials have now accepted that this year's supply was delayed, and the Chief Minister's instructions are aimed at the next academic year rather than this one.
The delay has a clear history. Earlier in 2026, the School Education Department moved away from its usual practice of ordering cloth from the state handloom weavers' cooperative and joined a centralised procurement process with private suppliers. Reports through the year linked that change to slower cloth supply and slower stitching. By 23 July, only 21.01 lakh metres of cloth, or 18.5 per cent of what was needed, had been supplied to 14 districts, according to figures reported at the time. In August, BRS MLA T. Harish Rao demanded an inquiry into the quality of the uniforms, saying students faced late supply, wrong measurements and faded colours.
The new instruction changes who has a say. Until now, colours, fabric and design have been decided by officials and suppliers. Asking students, and going by the majority view, is a small but unusual step in a state school system. The Chief Minister's demand for a standard procedure with strict timelines points at the main complaint of 2026: not the design of the uniform, but when it arrived.
Peepals calculation: In mid-September, 8,13,832 of the more than 18.36 lakh students had received their first pair, so roughly 10.2 lakh students (18.36 lakh − 8.14 lakh) were still waiting for it at that point. Because the order was for two pairs per student, the full order covered about 36.7 lakh sets (18.36 lakh × 2), of which about 22 per cent had been handed over (8.14 ÷ 36.7) if no second pairs had yet been given. Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Measure | Figure reported |
|---|---|
| Students covered by the uniform order, 2026-27 | more than 18.36 lakh |
| Students with first pair, mid-September | 8,13,832 (44.30%) |
| Cloth supplied by 23 July | 21.01 lakh metres (18.5% of need, 14 districts) |
| Districts without socks / belts, mid-September | 18 / 22 |
| Completion for items from one or two suppliers, November | 95% |
Impact
Short-term: Officials have been told to clear the remaining distribution of uniforms and kits at once. Students in government schools can expect to be asked, through their schools, about the colour, design and quality of what they wear.
Long-term: If the standard procedure is followed, cloth ordering, stitching and delivery will have to be planned months before the next academic year begins, so that uniforms reach classrooms on reopening day rather than in the middle of the year. The feedback could also shape the specifications in the next supply contracts.
Who is affected: Students of Telangana's government schools and their parents, headteachers who handle distribution, the School Education Department, and the handloom cooperative and private firms that supply cloth and stitched uniforms.
Key Takeaway
After a year of late uniform supply, Telangana's Chief Minister has ordered a fixed timetable for next year and asked students themselves to pick the colours and designs they will wear.
Questions and Answers
What did Revanth Reddy order on Telangana school uniforms?
At a review reported on 4 November 2026, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy told officials to collect feedback from government school students on the quality, colours and designs of their uniforms, and to finalise next year's options by the majority's preference. He also asked for a standard procedure so uniforms reach students on the first day of the next academic year.
Why were Telangana government school uniforms late in 2026?
The School Education Department joined a centralised procurement process instead of ordering cloth from the state handloom cooperative as before, and reports linked this to slower cloth supply and stitching. By mid-September only 44.30 per cent of the more than 18.36 lakh students had received their first pair.
Have the uniforms and kits now been distributed?
Officials told the Chief Minister that distribution of uniforms and other items such as ties, belts, shoes, socks and school bags was almost complete, with items from one or two suppliers at 95 per cent. He ordered the rest to be completed without further delay.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Aditi Kulkarni, Education WriterCovers Education and more for Peepals Bharat. All stories by Aditi Kulkarni
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Aditi Kulkarni is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
