A look at one of the big-ticket items on the back-to-school list – uniforms

Parents in Abu Dhabi and Dubai end up paying anywhere between Dh400 to Dh1,000 per child each year.

While some schools, including Gems Modern Academy in Dubai, above, outsource the uniforms services, others sell them on campus and have to seek approval if they want to raise prices. Ravindranath K / The NationalShow less

All across the country, it’s that time of the year when chequebooks and credit cards are being pulled out to pay school fees and other inescapable expenses that set parents back thousands of dirhams. Uniforms are one of the biggest-ticket items on that list. Depending on which school their children attend, parents in Abu Dhabi and Dubai end up paying anywhere between Dh400 to Dh1,000 to clothe each child every year.

Many schools tend to source out the uniforms service, with designated stores selling uniforms complete with school logos. Last year, a decision by the British-curriculum school Dubai Scholars to revise their uniform design caused an uproar as parents were asked to cough up Dh1,000 for a new package, which would include – unnecessarily, some parents thought – a school bag and shoes. The school management, which outsources the service, said at the time that the new price was “competitive for the quality and quantity to be supplied”. After parents protested, the school was forced to work out a more affordable deal.

Amna Baig, who has two girls in Dubai Scholars, says they previously paid Dh350 for uniforms.

“Sending a child to school in the UAE is expensive, but having to pay all that money for uniforms is too much,” says Baig. “The uniforms have changed a bit, but I don’t see a marked difference in the material or design.”

Baig says she now pays Dh500 for each set. She can either get the school to order the uniforms or go to a dealer in Ajman that is contracted to sell them.

Uniforms providers say the price variation is based on the school requirement and materials used. Zaks is a store that sells uniforms for 27 schools. One of them is Gems Wellington International School (GWIS), where uniform sets can cost up to Dh1,000, which includes a backpack priced at Dh125. Parents have to buy cream shirts, Bermuda shorts, sports T-shirts, tie, sweater, swimming trunks and a cap for boys. Girls attire includes a skirt priced between Dh85 and Dh115.

Schools selling their uniforms on campus need to seek the approval of Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority and the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) to justify their decision to raise prices. If the service is outsourced, the authorities do not interfere in the pricing decisions, often leaving parents with no choice but to pay up.

Khalid Mohammed, who has two children at Emirates National Schools in Abu Dhabi, says so far he has found the price of uniforms to be affordable. “I pay it with the fees,” says Mohammed, whose children are in grade two and grade seven. “And if I remember correctly, it is about Dh400 for a set, which is also replaced by the school if it gets damaged during the school year.”

Several parents opt to buy school shirts from the designated retailer at the market price, but prefer to have the trousers and skirts tailor-made.

Nick Watson, whose daughter is enrolled at Horizon School in Dubai, was recently informed that the uniform would be sold at the school instead of the uniform store they were previously dealing with.

“Children grow so quickly that we need to buy a new set every year,” says Watson. “Luckily there hasn’t been a drastic increase in the price so far, so we haven’t had to worry about the cost.”

Last year, Adec introduced standardised clothes for pupils in all government schools in the capital. The authority updated the uniforms design on their website and parents can use that information to get the clothes tailored. The uniforms with Adec’s logo were chosen after a consultation with principals. Boys attire includes short-sleeved shirts and trousers or shorts, while girls have to wear long-sleeved shirts, full skirts or trousers and a scarf. According to Adec, a single uniform set costs about Dh70.

Shaikha Al Zaabi, the principal of the Fatima Bint Mubarak School in Abu Dhabi, says standardisation was a necessary move. “Children were coming to school in whatever they liked,” she says.

“Some of the children are not well off and would feel bad looking at pupils in pretty outfits. So it is better that everyone feels equal in school with uniforms of the same material, colour and design.”