School uniform outrage

After the first week of the new school year, the issue of school uniforms has not cooled down. Parents are upset about the price and quality of the products and are worried that this expense will increase their financial burden.

EXPENSIVE, INCOMPATIBLE QUALITY

Mr. N., a parent of a third grader at a primary school in Binh Tan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, was upset: "My family has 1 child, and every year we have to buy at least 3 sets of regular school uniforms and 2-3 sets of gym uniforms. Each set costs a few hundred dollars. If we have 2 children, we have to buy about 10-12 sets. Of course, we can buy less if we can wash and dry them regularly. It turns out that each family spends nearly 2 million VND on uniforms for 2 children. However, the thing to say is that the quality of the uniforms does not match the price that parents pay. The fabric is of poor quality. The gym clothes are thin and the material is hot."

The requirement for uniforms is that they are durable for students, “light” the financial burden on families and green for the environment.

ILLUSTRATION: NHAT THINH

"In the area where I live, there are many people who work in the garment industry. They all say that the price of student uniforms with the same material as the school's is only 1/3 of the price (meaning that if they sewed them, the price would be 1/3 of the price the school sells - PV )," Mr. N. added.

THERE ARE BOTH… SLEEPWEAR, CLASS UNIFORMS

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

"I buy 5 sets of uniforms per school year for my child, which is nearly 1 million VND. The school does not require buying pajamas, they just say they encourage it. In my opinion, there should be no pajamas, the children just need to bring home clothes, cool and comfortable to change into, to lighten the burden on parents," said Ms. Tham.

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

Ms. Th., a parent of two children (one in grade 8, one in grade 11), in a poor commune in Dong Nai (formerly Binh Phuoc province), where 80-90% of the people make a living by tapping rubber. Ms. Th. told Thanh Nien reporter: "Middle and high school students do not have a specific uniform model, they are only required to wear a white shirt and dark pants to school, but they also have a gym uniform bought at school. On Mondays, female students wear white ao dai, and on Fridays they wear the Youth Union shirt. I think that is reasonable, because these are all legitimate expenses that need to be taken care of for the children. However, last year, my child's 10th grade class also "gave birth" to its own class uniform, not one set but two. This year, a student in the class said that the uniform is old and no longer fashionable , and is voting to continue adding two more sets."

Ms. Th. added: "The classmates proposed and then voted by majority, each shirt or uniform like that costs 400,000 - 450,000 VND, if anyone does not vote, they will be considered "boycotted" and isolated in the class". "Not to mention the money for textbooks, school bags, notebooks, school supplies, contributions to the class at the beginning of the year, breakfast for the children..., just the money for clothes and shoes is nearly 5 million VND for 2 children. I am frugal, I can take care of 2 children, but around me, many families are in very difficult circumstances, where can I get the money to take care of everything", she confided.

O BACK BREAKIN BECAUSE OF THE BURDEN OF SPENDING AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR

In Ho Chi Minh City, many primary and secondary schools in the old District 8 area (now Chanh Hung, Binh Dong, Phu Dinh wards) only require white shirts and dark pants/skirts, which parents must buy themselves. Or at Quang Trung High School, Thai My Commune, Ho Chi Minh City (former Cu Chi District), students go to school with white shirts and dark pants that they provide themselves. However, parents say that students are growing up, not to mention that last year's clothes are yellowed, old, and stretched, so at the beginning of every school year, they have to buy new clothes so that their children can go to school confidently. This amount of money is not small each year.

The prices of ready-made uniforms on the market are quite diverse, depending on the material and size. The listed prices of student uniforms at Parc Mall Ta Quang Buu, Ho Chi Minh City, range from 226,000 VND to 264,000 VND/dress for female students; from 135,000 VND to 214,000 VND/dark pants... On e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, the prices of female elementary school student dresses range from 144,000 VND to 336,000 VND/set; the prices of uniform skirts for female students at all levels range from 139,000 VND to 199,000 VND/skirt. The prices of white student shirts range from 109,000 VND - 199,000 VND/shirt... Each student needs at least 3 - 4 sets of uniforms to take turns going to school. Thus, if a family has 2 children going to school, the amount of money just to buy uniforms can be up to several million dong.

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

AFFORDABLE PRICE, LONG LIFE CYCLE

Mr. Tran Van Phu, Chairman and Founder of B'Lao - Scavi - Corèle Group, believes that "affordable" uniforms are not just a few thousand dong cheaper, but a balance: a durable shirt so that students are confident throughout the school year, a fair price so that parents do not have to worry about buying again and again, and a responsibility to help society reduce some of the burden of waste.

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, durable choice for students, "light" the financial burden on families and are green for the environment.

In an interview with Thanh Nien Newspaper, lawyer Nguyen Hung Quan, Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association, said that as a parent, he hopes that student uniforms need to meet the criteria of affordable prices, savings, age-appropriate designs, and sweat-absorbent fabric quality. Next, uniforms need to be durable enough to be reused for the following school years or given to children in difficult circumstances. Finally, there needs to be a difference in brand recognition such as school name, logo, badge, etc.

As a lawyer, Mr. Nguyen Hung Quan believes that if parents see problems with student uniforms in terms of price, design, quality, etc., they need to contribute their opinions openly and directly at the first parent meeting of the year with the homeroom teacher, or through the Parents' Representative Committee.

"If the majority of recommendations and presentations are legitimate because the students' rights are still not recognized and positively changed, parents have the right to work directly, in writing, with the school principal or competent agency/person to complain. Specifically, the chairman of the commune/ward People's Committee for preschool, primary and secondary schools and the director of the Department of Education and Training for high schools to be resolved in accordance with the correct order and procedures prescribed by law," said lawyer Quan.

On September 6, the discussion "Responsible consumer fashion" took place in Ho Chi Minh City, focusing on discussing student uniforms, in the context of parents facing financial pressure at the beginning of the school year and the unstable quality of uniforms. Here, students all expressed their views that in addition to aesthetic criteria and comfort, uniforms must be affordable, durable, and cost-effective.

Trend of saving with old uniforms

On groups and forums for parents, students, and residential communities, there are lively topics about asking for, giving away, and selling old school uniforms and textbooks.

The group "HCMC Parents Association" with nearly 368,000 members, or the group "Saigon University Practice Primary School" with nearly 6,000 members at the beginning of the school year, all had articles posted by members, sharing that they had specific student uniforms for each school, male or female, size... that they wanted to give to any student in need. Then parents texted each other to exchange and receive old uniforms.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Quyen, whose child is in grade 4 at Le Van Tho Primary School, An Hoi Dong Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, said: "In recent years, I have saved money on buying uniforms for my daughter at the beginning of the year by asking for old clothes from another parent in the school. Each school year, each child needs about 5 sets of uniforms for everyday wear, physical education, and boarding school uniforms. If the uniforms are of good quality and the parents and students know how to take care of them, the students in the next grade can reuse those of the previous grade."

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