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Herald Reporter

FORM One pupils at Girls High School in Harare earlier this week attended the first day of school in their primary school uniforms after the school failed to provide proper uniforms, despite parents making full payment.

The school’s uniform supplier reportedly failed to deliver the uniforms in time resulting in the bizarre situation where learners could be seen in their different Grade 7 uniforms.

Similar situations were reported in several other schools countrywide as schools appeared to defy a Government directive for parents to be allowed to buy uniforms from other suppliers, and not be forced into school monopolies.

According to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, parents are not compelled to buy uniforms from schools and can buy them from elsewhere so long as they meet the quality or standards set by the schools.

However, many school authorities have over the years been forcing parents to buy uniforms from the schools or specific suppliers under arrangements seen as opaque.

A disgruntled parent who spoke to our sister paper H-Metro at Girls High School this week, where Form One girls wore different attire, said: “The school must allow competent shops to sell their uniforms rather than humiliate our children in this way. We paid the full amount on time, but the school failed to provide the uniforms, which they forced us to buy from them.

“We failed to attend church on Sunday waiting for the uniforms at the school’s boutique where we were directed to buy them. We waited the whole day, but nothing came.

“We are appealing to relevant authorities to consider banning schools from selling uniforms since there are licensed shops that are good at supplying them.”

A petition circulated seeking permission to stop the school from supplying uniforms and was signed by a number of disgruntled parents and guardians.

Girls High changed its uniform in 2020 and parents have been clashing with the school over its failure to supply uniforms since then.