Competition Commision moves to make school uniforms more affordable
The commision has urged parents to report any anti-competitive behaviour.
SCHOOL uniform prices in South Africa are way too expensive.
This is according to the Competition Commision of South Africa which is intensifying its plans to make uniforms more “reasonable and affordable for parents.”
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The commission announced that it had signed agreements with several private schools including Curro, Advtech and Reddam House, with a view of revamping their uniform structure.
“Further, school governing bodies led by Federation of Governing Bodies of South Africa (FEDSAS), an association of largely public schools, and the Independent Schools of Southern Africa (ISASA), have made a public pledge to adhere to the school uniform guidelines aimed at curbing anti-competitive behaviour at schools,” said the commission in a statement.
The commission is also working with retailers to achieve a streamlined solution. Some of the guidelines the commission suggested include:School uniforms should be as generic as possible, so that it is obtainable from as many suppliers possible.
Exclusivity should be limited to items that the schools regard as necessary to obtain from pre-selected suppliers, for example badges. Schools should endeavour to follow a competitive bidding process when appointing suppliers. They should appoint more than one supplier in order to give parents more optioms.
The commision has urged parents to report any anti-competitive behaviour. “If governing bodies manage schools on behalf of the parents, it cannot be that parents must bear the brunt of expensive prices,” it said.
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