Zimbabwe Economic Freedom Fighters (ZEFF) has urged government to issue a directive compelling all schools in the country to allow learners without uniforms to attend classes.
In a press statement released yesterday organization’s president Innocent Ndibali said due to the harsh economic situation currently facing the country, schools should stop punishing and expelling students who attend classes without uniforms.
“As Zim EFF we are worried that schools are interpreting school uniform policies very narrowly and this is now a cause of major and often unnecessary problems for learners and their unemployed, economically disadvantaged parents. Schools must not be allowed to compel the wearing of uniforms when they have no legal power to do so and worse off in such economic hardships prevailing in our country where parents cannot find jobs or afford basic needs such as cooking oil, paraffin or bus fares,” said Ndibali
“Such schools are risking learners’ education by imposing sanctions in pursuance of a policy which does not have a clear legal basis. There is no conclusive empirical evidence to say whether uniforms are beneficial for formal learning, given the prevailing economic crisis, high levels unemployment and unprecedented cost of basic commodities including school uniforms,” he added.
Ndibali urged government to issue an official directive to stop schools demanding uniforms.
“Zim EFF urgently demands that the Government through its Ministry of Education immediately issue an official statement directing schools not to expel or punish learners for attending school without uniforms until the economic situation improves. Learners and parents have a right to know what school’s uniform aims to achieve and learners have education rights enshrined in the constitution,” said Ndibali.
