Opinion / Letters
Vatal Primary School robbing parents in daylight
19 Feb 2014 at 11:51hrs | Views
Vatal primary school located in Msasa Park is charging unrealistic prices for their school uniforms. The school insists that uniforms be bought at the centre and nowhere else to the extent of checking the labels on the kids' uniforms to verify if it was bought there.
The school purchases its stocks in South Africa and adds a huge mark-up for the uniforms. A jersey which costs less than R90 goes for $50 at the school, tracksuits also less than R90 costs $65, a pair of socks which is less than R20 cost $10 and their dresses and shirts which are tailor made here in Zimbabwe cost $25 and $20 respectively. How does the school justify these huge prices? Parents have to struggle to purchase these necessary items at such costs.
The school harasses students who come wearing identical uniforms that have not been bought at the centre to the extent of making them remove the uniform i.e. if it's a jersey on a cold day. Students are even refused to get into classes or board the school bus at pick up points for the same reason.
As parents all we want is for our kids to get a decent education and we appreciate the necessity of a uniform for the kids to be presentable at school. It is a noble idea to have all uniforms bought at the same place to avoid differences in uniforms but if the centre charges prices that make parents struggle to buy the uniforms parents tend to seek alternatives as their prices are just out of this world.....
No parent wants to go against the school rules and regulations of buying the uniforms there but the school takes advantage of the rule to rob the parents of their hard earned cash on uniforms.........
My question is "Is the uniform business a money making scheme for the upcoming school?" I think if the school is looking for ways to raise money it should consider other fund raising programmes other than using the uniforms as a way of raising money.
Parents would gladly participate in the fund raising schemes as we would like the school to turn into the best school we are happy with its standards and we want it to improve but this uniform robbery should stop.
A friend of fine who also had a child there ended up transferring the child because of the uniform harassment.
Concerned and angry Parent
Source - Concerned and angry Parent
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