School uniforms on topic
Hearing on extra burden of costs
For some parents in South Africa, a school uniform costs more than the fees they would be expected to pay.
Yesterday, Godwin Khosa, chief executive of the National Education Collaboration Trust, spoke of the role of uniform and its impact on schooling during a dialogue with the Competition Commission, Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga and other stakeholders.
The group said they could not pretend there was no monopoly and that uniforms were not expensive, and this had an impact on accessing education.
Khosa said: “How do we expect parents who can’t afford to pay school fees to buy uniforms worth thousands of rands?
“There are kids who go to private schools, but cannot afford to buy [the] uniform. We need to make sure that they are not excluded.”
Professor Shireen Motala and Sindi Msimango from the University of Johannes- burg recommended that affordable school uniforms for the majority of disadvantaged pupils must be a priority.
Motala said: “Generic uniforms with standardised pants, shirts, and skirts could be introduced with a separate school crest.
“There should be regular monitoring of school uniform practices in schools. Swap shops could be revived and promoted in schools to enable pupils to obtain second-hand uniforms in good condition.”
Commissioner Tembinkosi Bonakele said exclusivity should be limited to items a school regards as necessary to obtain from suppliers.
“Schools should appoint more than one supplier in order to give parents more options,” Bonakele said.
Motshekga said certain uniforms were representative of the past.
“I understand 20 parents complained about the cost of uniform. But, we should also consider the eight million other parents ...
“We need to give them the power to engage,” Motshekga said.