As Minister Choi Kyo-jin of the Ministry of Education mentioned "abolishing suit-style uniforms," expectations are rising among parents. Suit-style uniforms, worn only at graduation and entrance ceremonies, cost around 300,000 won, and the need to also buy daily wear uniforms and PE uniforms has long been cited as a burden. However, because uniforms are ultimately decided by each school, it appears unlikely that suit-style uniforms will disappear across the board.
The Ministry of Education said on the 26th at the "Task force meeting of related ministers on special management of livelihood prices" that it would "shift from suit-style uniforms, which are expensive and less practical, to comfortable uniforms such as daily wear and PE uniforms, and simplify the items." However, contrary to parents' expectations, the Ministry of Education repeatedly emphasized that "it is difficult to abolish suit-style uniforms all at once." The reason is that the entity that makes the final decision on uniform types is each school, not the central government or the education offices.
According to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, expenses borne by parents are subject to deliberation by the school management committee. The school management committee is composed of parents, teachers, and local figures, and deliberates on matters such as uniforms, PE uniforms, and graduation albums. There are also uniform selection committees that include a majority of current students, and many schools conduct surveys of current students.
For this reason, it appears unlikely that schools nationwide will abolish suit-style uniforms across the board in response to this recommendation. An official at the Ministry of Education said, "Some private schools prefer suit-style uniforms for reasons of tradition," adding, "Since stakeholders have differing views, even with a recommendation, it will be difficult for suit-style uniforms to disappear all at once."
Previously, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, among others, recommended "simplified uniforms" and "comfortable uniforms" to prevent double purchases of uniforms and daily wear. However, change on the ground has been limited. According to a survey conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Aug. last year, 74% of 712 middle and high schools in Seoul were mixing suit-style uniforms and daily wear. Only 14.5% of schools required daily wear only.
A teacher at a high school in Seoul said, "Most students wear daily wear or PE uniforms, but quite a few prefer suit-style uniforms because the design looks nice," adding, "If we ask students' opinions, it may not easily coalesce around abolishing them altogether."
The government instead plans to respond by changing how free uniform support is provided. Currently, each local government supports around 300,000 won per person in purchase expense for uniforms and more. At present, 13 cities and provinces nationwide provide suit-style uniforms in kind, while four cities and provinces provide cash or vouchers so that students can choose and buy the items they want, such as suit-style, daily wear, or PE uniforms.
An official at the Ministry of Education said, "If we move away from providing suit-style uniforms and expand cash or voucher support, it will also become possible to trade suit-style uniforms secondhand or pass them down," adding, "We will fine-tune the system to reduce the burden on parents while expanding their choices."