FERMANAGH households have been battling the rising costs of school uniforms for years, but there’s soon going to be a price cap on all clothing items.
After a Sinn Féin motion was called at Stormont, Northern Ireland’s Education Minister, Paul Givan, has said there’s going to be a public consultation on introducing a price cap for school uniforms.
Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA, Jemma Dolan, is pleased with confirmation from the Education Minister.
“We need to make sure that going to school is as easy as possible for every child and that means removing unnecessary barriers by making school uniforms affordable for all families,” said Ms Dolan.
“We cannot have a single mother having sleepless nights worrying whether she can get her daughter the expensive blazer.
“The father working extra hours to get that PE uniform, or the grandmother spending her much-needed pension on her grandson’s branded jumper.
“It is simply not acceptable at a time when many families are really hard pressed at the minute with the high cost of heating, electricity and food.”
To cope with the battling costs, schools in England enforced a strict law in September 2022 which enforced the removing of unnecessary branded items from their uniform requirements.
“Many schools are doing a much better job in terms of seeking to reduce the branded items that parents are having to buy for their children,” Thomas Cave from The Children’s Society told BBC News.
Northern Ireland’s Education Minister is considering imposing a price cap on school uniform costs and the Fermanagh politician has praised the new proposal.
“They already struggle to make ends meet, and when the summer comes around, the cost of school uniforms really can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” said Ms Dolan.
“By putting all our shoulders to the wheel and working together in this [Stormont] Assembly, we can make school uniforms more affordable and help to keep money in the pockets of families.”
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