Mumbai, May 31 -- A last-minute government order requiring inclusion of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) logo on uniforms that will be distributed among government school students at the start of the academic year has created much confusion among teachers, school management committees, uniform suppliers, and parents across Maharashtra. With barely two weeks left for schools to reopen after the summer break with the new academic year on June 15, school management committees and teachers said the directive had come too late and there wasn't enough time for implementation. "We are not opposing the decision. But this order should have come at least two or three months earlier," said Vijay Kombe, state president of the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers Committee. This is the third time in three years that the state government's uniform distribution scheme has become a subject of controversy. In 2024, a government resolution (GR) was issued at the last minute, mandating standarised uniforms under the 'One State One Uniform' policy, which delayed distribution of the second set of uniforms among students till November-December. In 2025 too, a GR was issued at the last minute, saying all school uniforms must be stitched by local women's self-help groups (SHGs), leading to much disarray. The order was later recalled, along with the 2024 GR on the 'One State One Uniform' policy. This year, most school management committees began the process of procuring uniforms in October, as per earlier guidelines. Many committees finalised uniform designs, purchased cloth and placed stitching orders as per local requirements, with uniforms expected to be distributed among students on the first day of the new academic year. However, on May 29, the school education department issued a GR saying all uniforms must carry the SSA logo, and comply with a clutch of other conditions. School authorities and uniform suppliers said the decision had come too late, as the production process was already at an advanced stage. Dnyaneshwar Chauhan, a school management committee member of the Shahpur-based zilla parishad school said they had started the procurement process in October and their uniforms were ready. "It is very difficult at this stage to include the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan logo on the uniforms," Chauhan said. Many teachers were currently busy with pre-SIR work and census-related duties, said Kombe. "Implementing major changes at the last moment creates practical difficulties," said the state president of the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers Committee. The committee has appealed to its office-bearers at the state, divisional, district and taluka levels to meet Chief Executive Officers and Education Officers and inform them about the difficulties arising from the GR. With schools set to reopen after barely two weeks, we are awaiting further clarification from the government on how the latest instructions will be implemented without delaying the distribution of uniforms among students," said the principal of a zilla parishad school, requesting anonymity....