Outrage over school uniforms

After the first week of the new school year, the issue of school uniforms remains a hot topic. Parents are upset about the price and quality of the products and worried that this expense will add to their financial burden.

It 's expensive, but the quality doesn't match the price.

Mr. N., a parent of a 3rd-grade student at a primary school in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, expressed his frustration: "My family has one child, and we have to buy at least 3 sets of school uniforms and 2-3 sets of PE uniforms a year. Each set costs over 100,000 VND. If we have two children, we'd need to buy around 10-12 sets, though we could buy fewer if we could wash and dry them regularly. That works out to nearly 2 million VND per family for two children's uniforms. However, the đáng thing is that the quality of the uniforms doesn't match the price parents pay. The fabric is poor quality. The PE uniforms are made of thin, hot material."

The requirements for school uniforms are that they should be durable for students, affordable for families, and environmentally friendly.

ILLUSTRATIVE PHOTO: NHAT THINH

"In my area, many people work in the garment industry. They all say that the price of school uniforms made with the same materials as the school would only be one-third of the school's price (meaning that if they made them, the price would be one-third cheaper than what the school sells them for - PV )," Mr. N added.

THERE ARE EVEN UNIFORMS… FOR SLEEPING, AND CLASS UNIFORMS.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tham, a parent residing in Dong Hung Thuan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, said that her child, who is in 4th grade, needs a regular school uniform (with the school logo), a physical education uniform, and a nap uniform.

"I buy five sets of uniforms for my child each school year, which costs nearly 1 million VND. The school doesn't require sleepwear, they just say it's encouraged. In my opinion, there shouldn't be sleepwear; children can just bring comfortable, breathable clothes to change into at home, to lighten the burden on parents," said Ms. Thắm.

Ms. Tham said: "The price of school uniforms should be under 150,000 VND/set, that's reasonable because at the beginning of the year, parents have to worry about many expenses, each thing adds up to a lot, not to mention the cost of books and stationery. In my child's class, there are many parents who are very poor and only dare to buy one set of uniforms for their child all year."

Ms. Th., a parent with two children (one in 8th grade and one in 11th grade) in a disadvantaged commune in Dong Nai (formerly Binh Phuoc province), where 80-90% of the residents make a living by tapping rubber trees, told Thanh Nien newspaper: "Secondary and high school students don't have a specific uniform design; they only need to wear white shirts and dark pants to school, but there's an additional PE uniform purchased at the school. On Mondays, female students wear white ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress), and on Fridays, they wear the Youth Union uniform. I think this is reasonable, as these are all legitimate expenses that need to be covered for the children. However, last year, my child's 10th grade class even created their own class uniform, not just one but two sets. This year, some students in the class say that uniform is outdated and no longer fashionable , and they are voting to add two more sets."

Ms. Th. added: "The classmates proposed it and then took a majority vote. Each shirt or uniform costs 400,000 - 450,000 VND. If anyone didn't vote, they were considered 'ostracized' and isolated in the class." "Not to mention the money for textbooks, school bags, notebooks, school supplies, class contributions at the beginning of the year, breakfast for the children... just the clothes and shoes alone cost nearly 5 million VND for two children. I'm thrifty and can manage for my two children, but many families around me are in very difficult circumstances; where would they get the money to cover everything?" she confided.

BACKS BOUND BY THE BURDEN OF EARLY YEAR EXPENSES

In Ho Chi Minh City, many primary and secondary schools in the former District 8 (now Chanh Hung, Binh Dong, and Phu Dinh wards) only require white shirts and dark-colored pants/skirts, which parents must purchase themselves. Similarly, at Quang Trung High School in Thai My commune, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Cu Chi District), students come to school wearing white shirts and dark-colored pants that they provide themselves. However, parents say that because their children are growing, and the previous year's clothes are often yellowed, worn out, or have stretched elastic, they have to buy new clothes at the beginning of each school year so their children feel confident going to school. This expense is considerable each year.

The price of ready-made school uniforms varies considerably depending on the material and size. At Parc Mall Ta Quang Buu, Ho Chi Minh City, school uniforms are priced from 226,000 to 264,000 VND per dress for girls; and from 135,000 to 214,000 VND per pair of dark-colored pants… On e-commerce platforms like Shopee, the price of girls' dresses for elementary school ranges from 144,000 to 336,000 VND per set; the price of uniform skirts for girls of all levels ranges from 139,000 to 199,000 VND per skirt. The price of white school shirts ranges from 109,000 to 199,000 VND per shirt… Each student needs at least 3-4 sets of uniforms to wear interchangeably. Therefore, if a family has two children in school, the amount spent on uniforms alone could reach several million VND.

At the beginning of the school year, school uniforms become a hot topic again.

We need affordable prices and a long service life.

Mr. Tran Van Phu, Chairman and Founder of B'Lao - Scavi - Corèle Group, believes that "affordable" school uniforms are not just about saving a few thousand dong, but about finding a balance: a durable uniform that allows students to feel confident throughout the school year, a fair price so parents don't have to worry about buying them repeatedly, and a responsibility to help society reduce its waste burden.

In terms of quality, uniforms must be made from materials that are safe for students' skin and health. Therefore, according to Mr. Phu, "affordable" uniforms are a sustainable choice, durable for students, "lightening" the financial burden on families, and green for the environment.

In an interview with Thanh Nien Newspaper, lawyer Nguyen Hung Quan, from the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association, stated that as a parent, he hopes school uniforms will meet the criteria of being affordable, economical, age-appropriate in design, and made of sweat-absorbent fabric. Furthermore, the uniforms should be durable enough to be reused in subsequent school years or donated to underprivileged students. Finally, elements of brand identity such as the school name, logo, and emblem should be considered.

Speaking as a lawyer, Mr. Nguyen Hung Quan believes that if parents find issues with school uniforms regarding price, design, quality, etc., they should contribute their opinions openly and directly at the first parent-teacher meeting of the year with the homeroom teacher, or through the Parent Representative Committee.

"If the majority of suggestions and presentations are justified because the students' rights are not recognized or positively changed, parents have the right to work directly with the school principal or the competent authority/person to file a complaint. Specifically, this could be the chairman of the People's Committee of the commune/ward for preschool, primary, and secondary schools, and the director of the Department of Education and Training for high schools, in order to have the matter resolved according to the procedures and regulations of the law," lawyer Quan said.

On September 6th, a seminar titled "Responsible Fashion Consumption" was held in Ho Chi Minh City, focusing on school uniforms amidst financial pressures for parents at the beginning of the school year and the inconsistent quality of uniforms. At the seminar, students and university students expressed their views that, in addition to aesthetics and comfort, uniforms must be affordable, durable, and cost-effective.

The trend of saving money by using old uniforms.

On parent-teacher and student forums, community groups, etc., there are lively discussions about asking for, giving, or donating old school uniforms, and selling off old uniforms and textbooks.

Groups like "Ho Chi Minh City Parents' Association" with nearly 368,000 members, or the "Saigon University Practice Primary School" parents' group with nearly 6,000 members, both had posts shared by members at the beginning of the school year about having school uniforms (specifically for boys or girls, sizes, etc.) they wanted to donate to students in need. Parents then messaged each other to exchange the used uniforms.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Quyen, whose child is in 4th grade at Le Van Tho Primary School in An Hoi Dong Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, said: "For the past few years, I've saved money on school uniforms for my daughter by getting used ones from other parents at the school. Each school year, each child needs about 5 sets of uniforms: everyday uniforms, PE uniforms, and after-school uniforms. If the uniforms are of good quality and parents and students take good care of them, students in subsequent classes can reuse the uniforms from previous classes."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/buc-xuc-dong-phuc-hoc-sinh-18525091222295312.htm