Cape Town - With the rising cost of living and the ongoing investigation into collusion by the Competition Commission when it comes to the exclusivity of school uniforms, the debate on whether to scrap them entirely has reared its head.
“One of the things we struggle with throughout school is identity and uniforms help in aiding that feelings of: Where do I belong?” said Ana Kleinsmith, a parent to two boys, aged 9 and 5.
“School uniforms are expensive, I don't think we should do away with it. Maybe government can make it more accessible and not so exclusive. The reason it's expensive is because we have to go to exclusive shops,” she said.
“My son goes to Parow North Primary. There's one woman who supplies the school. And we can only go there to buy the tracksuits as everything they brand.”
Another parent echoed the complaint about exclusivity.
“The disadvantage of wearing a uniform is yes, that it is expensive, kids are growing a lot and if you have more than one child going to school you have to replace some parts of their uniform throughout the year. I have to buy new shirts every term,” said Marchelle Abrahams, who has a boy and girl, aged 10 and 4, respectively.
But they would rather deal with buying uniforms than send their kids to school in civvies.
“First of all, the purpose behind the uniforms is that it creates an identity for the school and learners. It creates a sense of pride and belonging somewhere,” said Kleinsmith.
Many parents and their children flocked to School & Leisure in Rondebosch to purchase school clothes for the upcoming school year. David Ritchie African News Agency (ANA)
Abrahams added: “In wearing uniforms there is a level of conformity and there is no competition between the kids, and they are kind of equal to each other.
“It wouldn't be too difficult for the learners to transition to casual clothes, but my only fear is the competition and seeing the haves and the-have-nots.”
National Association of School Governing Bodies general-secretary, Matakanye Matakanye said that school uniforms are really beneficial, but that they are against the exclusivity that comes with purchasing uniforms.
"Wearing casual clothes could compromise the safety of a learner. If they are in one uniform it helps in maintaining order in the school. Parents are also not given the leverage to buy uniforms wherever they want and wherever they can afford.
“We just have to standardise the uniform. If all schools can just wear set colours and only differentiate when they put on emblems, then it can help.”
A spokesperson for the Western Cape Education Department, Bronagh Hammond said that learner uniforms need to be agreed upon by the School Governing Body, taking into account the communities they serve.
"School uniforms give a school an identity. It also prevents competition between learners in terms of what they are wearing, or teasing and bullying. This can be financially constraining on parents when civvies are worn on a daily basis. Therefore school uniforms are more cost effective in this regard," Hammond said.
“Schools also need to adhere to the requirements of the Competition Commission in this regard. Preferably school uniforms should be as generic as possible such that it is obtainable from many suppliers.
“Various organizations also link up with schools in our poorer communities to assist with uniforms, if required.”
Dozens of parents and their children flocked to School & Leisure in Rondebosch to purchase school clothes for the new school year. David Ritchie African News Agency (ANA)
@thelionmutters