Uniforms in South Africa

CESLA has uniform projects going on in 4 different areas of South Africa.
CLICK ON the title link above to link to our Uniform Projects webpage.

Why Uniforms?

In South Africa, all state schools and most private schools school uniforms are compulsory. The concept of school uniform is believed to serve two purposes - to instill a sense of belonging and pride in the school and also to eliminate any idea of competition in the matter of personal dress. Most schools have very precise requirements and every school issues a uniform list which covers all items from general day-today wear (often including shoes) to more specialized sports wear and equipment.
South Africa, like many former British colonies, has uniforms based on traditional English styles. This uniform evolved in England during the late 19th century and spread to the English colonies. South Africa of course was one of those colonies.

South African Education
In South Africa, state sponsored schools are divided into five categories according to the poverty levels in the areas they serve. Poorer schools are given larger state subsidies, and so have lower school fees, while wealthier schools are given smaller subsidies, and so have higher fees. In the poorest areas of all, students are completely exempt from paying school fees. These "no-fee" schools receive all their required funding from the government, and make up 40% of all schools in 2007.

It is estimated that well more than half the adults in KwaZulu-Natal are unemployed, with the figures being much higher in the vast rural areas of this province. Additionally, HIV/AIDS transmission rates here are the highest in the world! According to Dawie Bosch, a South African child-rights advocate, "...in the context of HIV/AIDS, things are possibly -- and probably -- getting worse for children,"
The reality is, these orphans and vulnerable children are being denied hope, because they can not purchase uniforms or school supplies to attend school!!! One of CESLA's goals is to provide at-risk children access to education and basic resources like food and school uniforms.