Break these uniform cartels from schools

School uniforms are considered major equalisers. Learners wear uniforms to school, which gives them a sense of equality and ultimately, a symbol of unity.

When learners wear uniforms, they do not feel insecure about their looks because their social status is put on the backburner.

From a crowd in a given school, you cannot pick a poor or a rich student so it limits bullying and discrimination by the latter.

In the world of different social classes, it is important that uniforms should not be used to discriminate.

There have arisen arguments that uniforms should be banned from school and the justification given is that parents are being forced to dig deeper into their pockets and that uniforms have been given undue importance while the main focus should be the delivery of education.

Those in support of the uniform say lack of it will cause divisions among students and worse still create social barriers, especially now that we are living in a socially challenged society.

Time and again, the Government has been urged to crack cartels, which have been a major contributor to skyrocketing prices of school uniforms, almost beyond reach for some parents.

The huge uniform burden is mostly felt by parents with learners joining Form One. Schools give a long list of items to be bought and go a step further to say where they should be bought. And here is where cartels in the name of administrators arise.

A section of education stakeholders has accused the government of failing to develop guidelines on uniforms and especially, the rule of having to buy from designated suppliers. In all this mire it is the parent who bears the ruthlessness of the cartels.

The National Parents Association has termed it unfortunate that parents are forced to buy uniforms from schools or particular outlets, which is against the competition law.

They argue that parents should be free to buy uniforms from outlets as long as it meets the prescribed school shade and design, saying that the monopolistic arrangement has led to an exorbitant cost of uniforms. Coming at a time when the Government is implementing the 100 per cent transition policy, it is important that guidelines on uniforms are considered.

Let us make the purchase of uniforms affordable for all as we rush to ensure all learners get a basic education. It should not be about extortion of some sort.

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