Unhappy parents claimed in the headlines recently that their kids had been turned away from school because they weren’t dressed in the right school uniform. The principal of the school has spoken up to explain the situation.
Some parents of students at Manenberg High School claim that their kids were sent away from school because they weren’t dressed in the right clothes.
The group of parents has shared that they send their children to school with what they have because school uniforms are expensive and they just can’t afford them.
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen the rate at which people were being laid-off from work, adding to an already high unemployment rate.
Manenberg High School Principal Cameron Williams said he has taken the tough economic experiences of many people into consideration.
In an interview, Williams refuted the claims made against him and clarified:
We allow learners to wear a plain navy jersey, the school doesn’t have a jersey of their own, so we go for the plain navy jersey that is very affordable.
It is said that the school staff members work together in buying complete school uniform sets for learners in need. Williams explained that his approach is instilling a level of discipline, uniformity, and social equality, prioritizing it for all people.
At the beginning of the year, the Competition Tribunal had ordered school uniforms to be available at most retail stores, which then will be easy on the consumer’s pocket due to school uniforms being expensive for parents to purchase.
Learners’ late coming was amongst the few things that the Principal disapproved of, he has also shared that he does have strict rules in some respects, whilst maintaining a good relationship with the school learners.
According to reports, over the past three years of being Principal, the school went from a 30% pass rate to approximately 60% last year and Williams has plans to improve the school’s performance further.