Financial Implications.
The Guidelines suggested a variety of uniform options for schools in order to benefit from economies of scale and to minimize the cost implications of transferring schools. The uniform must allow learners to participate in school activities with comfort, safety and decorum. In addition, the selection of school uniforms should be geared to reflect a South African identity. Schools are discouraged from having more than one uniform. In addition, the guidelines state that the range of school uniforms should be as follows:
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FOR BOYS |
FOR GIRLS |
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ESSENTIAL ITEMS |
ESSENTIAL ITEMS |
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Trousers (short, long) or tracksuit pants |
Skirt, dress, gymslip or tunic or trousers (longs) or tracksuit pants |
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Shirt (button up or golf) |
Shirt (button up or golf) or Blouse |
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OPTIONAL ITEMS |
OPTIONAL ITEMS |
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Tie (school design) |
Tie (school design) |
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Jersey or other suitable top for colder weather conditions |
Jersey or other suitable top for colder weather conditions |
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Socks |
Socks |
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Footwear e.g. shoes or sandals or “takkies” |
Footwear e.g. shoes or sandals or “takkies” |
As I talked about in last week's blog the main issue is that many schools use a single supplier which enables them to impose higher costs onto parents.
In 2017, the Competition Commission launched an investigation into allegations of anticompetitive behavior in the supply of school uniforms. The investigation was prompted by complaints from parents and some school uniform suppliers. On the one hand, parents believed that school uniform suppliers charged excessive prices. On the other hand, smaller suppliers felt excluded from the school uniform market due to long-term exclusive supply agreements between schools and selected vendors. The problem, as the Commission later unearthed, was pervasive.
The Commission ultimately found that long-term exclusive supply agreements enabled school uniform suppliers to charge customers higher prices. This also prevented other potential suppliers from entering the market and competing for customers. The Commission’s investigation resulted in the conclusion of settlement agreements with some of the big school groups.
As a result, the Commission and the Department of Basic Education jointly issued a circular, which schools are encouraged but not obligated to follow, on the procurement of school uniforms and other learning-related goods and services in 2020. The circular encourages schools to adhere to the Guidelines and discourages schools from anti-competitive behavior in the procurement of school uniforms and other learning-related goods and services.
The SA guidelines agues the the point of uniforms are that theyinclude the following:
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- School uniforms should be as generic as possible such that it is obtainable from more than one supplier.
- Schools should preferably appoint more than one supplier in order to give parents more options.
- Exclusivity should be limited to items that the school regards as necessary to get from preselected suppliers.
- Exclusive agreements concluded with suppliers should be of limited duration, between 3 to 5 years. When appointing exclusive suppliers, schools should follow a competitive bidding process.
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Once I addressed that I dug into the meat of the memo the gender neutral argument. Recently, there have been several cases of transgender and homosexual students being bullied for their uniform choice at some Western Cape schools. According to the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), the Department of Basic Education’s school uniform policy was based on accessibility and affordability. However, the absence of a human rights approach does little to address the homophobic environment in South African schools shown South African schools are still sites of social and gender discrimination and exclusion impacting on access to education for LGBTI students. The existing Draft National Guidelines on School Uniforms do not address this issue adequately. Unfortunately, the existing draft guidelines continue to reinforce the sexist and discriminatory separation of “girls and boys” leaving little room for LGBTI students being able to wear uniforms that fit with their gender expression. Holding a binary to students who do not apply is not fair to them and I hope with the work I am doing here things may change for those learners!