The study by the University of Otago, Wellington — Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke, gathered the views of students, parents and staff at three co-educational, state-funded secondary schools in Wellington.
The study was undertaken by Dr Johanna Reidy, Dr Michaela Pettie (Ngāti Pūkenga) and Dr Lucy Telfar-Barnard from the Department of Public Health.
Lead researcher Dr Reidy said a small but concerning number of students in the study reported missing school because they did not have the correct uniform to wear.
Students listed a range of reasons for this, including that their uniform was worn out or did not fit, they did not have enough items to rotate while washing and drying their uniform or because they were sharing clothing with siblings.
About one in five students reported that buying school uniform items was a problem for their family because of the cost.
‘‘Even in comparatively affluent schools, some families struggled with the cost of outfitting their children with school uniforms,’’ Dr Reidy said.
Ten percent of students in the study said their parents or caregivers had borrowed money in order to buy new uniform items. Some families had applied to Work and Income for loans which later had to be repaid.
Māori and Pacific rangatahi who participated in the study and lived with lower-income whānau were significantly more likely to worry about the cost of their school uniforms compared with non-Māori and Pacific students.
The research is published in Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online. —Allied Media
