A primary school teacher from the Narmada district in Gujarat has made an appeal for donations of warm woollen clothing for impoverished tribal students. The teacher stated that 84 government primary school students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds are in need of woollen clothing to protect them from the cold winter weather.

One of the two school teachers of the Chopdi village of the Dediapada Taluka, Vinubhai Gujariya told IANS, “I was transferred to this school a few months ago. There are 84 students from Class I to VIII, all coming from very poor families, and none of them has a single woollen cloth. So I made this appeal to the people of Gujarat to donate clothes.”

The teacher expressed concern that his appeal for donations might have negative consequences for him or his colleagues. He emphasised that the appeal was solely motivated by a desire to ensure that the students are protected from the cold winter weather and is not intended to challenge the government in any way.

When the matter was taken up by the District Primary Education officer Jayesh Patel, by IANS, he said that “under the government scheme, for each academic year, the students are provided one pair of uniforms for which money is transferred to the children's accounts.”

He added that “There is no other scheme under which children can be provided woollen clothes, but still he will look into the matter and try to help students,” according to a report by IANS.

The school teacher said bank accounts are in the children's parents' names. "They are using the fund meant for school uniforms. He has complained that 50 per cent of 84 students have only one pair of clothes, other than one pair of school uniform," said Gujariya.