THE SDLP’s Derry Assembly representative Mark H Durkan has said the spiralling costs of school uniforms and financial burden on parents must be addressed.
He expressed frustrations that families in the North of Ireland are not afforded the same protections as those elsewhere across the UK.
Low-income families in Britain can claim up to £100 more per child through the school uniform grant compared to the North.
In addition, England has announced the introduction of legislation to protect families from unnecessary school uniform costs.
From September 2022, state schools must remove unnecessary branded items from their uniform requirements.
Said the Foyle MLA: “The debate around school uniform costs rears its head every August, plenty of talkshops but little action.
“Parents have always been under pressure to purchase expensive branded items as per uniform policies set out by schools across the North. As inflation and household bills rise, these requirements present an additional burden on families’ finances.
“Grants elsewhere across these islands provide up to £100 more per child than the current provision in the North.
“That is a massive discrepancy and while I welcome the review currently taking place, a slight increase in the school uniform grant won’t tackle the root problem here.
“Serious questions need to be asked as to why the glaring disparity in support has been allowed to persist for so long or why steps have not been taken before now to help families manage back to school costs.
“This situation was created and ultimately has left parents in Northern Ireland totally unprotected and therefore most adversely impacted by school uniform costs.
“Now England has announced the introduction of laws which will protect parents by keeping branded school items to a minimum and allowing them to shop around to source best value garments. This legal protection does not extend to the North, we need to see government here following suit and quickly.”
Mr Durkan added: “Amid inaction of ministers here, we’ve seen grassroots organisations rallying to establish uniform exchanges and swap shops within our communities.
“As fantastic as these initiatives are, it is sad indictment on the executive that charitable and voluntary groups on shoestring budgets, have been tasked with addressing this huge issue in its absence.
“There is no excuse for the protracted failure of successive Education Ministers to act on this recurrent issue.
“Hard working families are bearing the brunt of the cost of living emergency as the government stand watch over the growing equality gap.
“Securing an education for a child should not be intertwined with the anxieties of meeting expensive uniform costs.”
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