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| Schools should adapt uniform policy to suit challenging times – Healy Eames |
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Fine Gael Seanad Education Spokesperson Fidelma Healy Eames today (Monday) called for schools to show leniency when it comes to the rigorous enforcement of strict uniform codes as parents struggle to make ends meet.
“With children heading back to school this week, I have been contacted by many parents who are struggling to cope with the escalating cost of books, bags, uniforms and all the bits that go with the return to school. As well as the inordinate cost of school text books, parents have spoken to me about the cost of the school jacket and track-suit.
“While a basic uniform is a good way of ensuring that every child is on an even keel, the cost associated with extra uniform items, such as school jackets and tracksuits, are pushing parents to their financial limits. One Galway-city based parent told me this would add an extra €150 onto her bill for the basic uniform. These items very often contain a school crest or emblem, ensuring that they must be purchased in specialist shops at grossly inflated prices. This monopoly-type practice must be brought to an end.
“In the UK schools sell the school crest and the students are allowed sew the crest onto a track-suit of the correct colour which may be bought in any shop. This would seem like a sensible option and I would call on Irish schools to explore the feasibility of this practice.
“I am calling on Boards of Management that enforce a school uniform policy to revise their policy in these straitened times in light of the financial pressures on parents. Enforcing a code that is impossible for families to maintain could be a cause of embarrassment for a child, driving an unnecessary wedge between him/ her and the school.
“Under no circumstance should schools use additional items, such as school jackets and tracksuits, as tools to reprimand children whose parents may be hard pressed to meet these costs. Cash strapped parents should also be given leave to purchase generic uniforms from high street stores which come at a fraction of the cost of crested garments.”
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