EDITORIAL | The high cost of school uniforms is a pressing issue contributing to the financial hardship facing parents in the Eastern Cape and beyond, as the Dispatch reported on in our weekend edition.With schools entering exclusive contracts with suppliers and, in doing so, limiting options for parents, the burden on families is reaching untenable levels.
The cost of school uniforms is crippling parents, who have expressed their frustration at Eastern Cape schools forcing them to buy from either the school’s own shop or a single supplier, with no way to save costs. Last week, Competition Commission spokesperson Siyabulela Makunga said they had received more than 220 complaints across the country about high uniform costs and possible violations of the Competition Act.