Ministry of Education: "Irrationalities in School Uniform Prices Exist... Will Enhance Transparency by Disclosing Management Status"

Comprehensive Survey Results Announced for Middle and High Schools Nationwide
Formal Uniforms Cost Over 110,000 Won More Than Daily Wear Uniforms

Going forward, information on the management status of school uniform costs at each school will be transparently released, enhancing parents' right to know.

On May 21, the Ministry of Education unveiled the "Results of a Comprehensive Survey on School Uniform Costs and Future Plans" at the "Task Force for Special Management of Public Livelihood Prices" meeting.

On the 26th, a parent visiting the Nanum School Uniform Store in Songpa-gu, Seoul, is selecting a school uniform. Photo by Yonhap News

From February for about two months, the Ministry of Education conducted a comprehensive survey of all 5,687 middle and high schools nationwide, examining last year's school uniform cost support status, uniform types, and itemized prices. The results showed that the school uniform wearing rate was 95.6%, with a total of 5,437 schools requiring uniforms. Among these schools, 96.3% participated in the school-led purchasing system, and the participation rate for public schools was 99.5%.

Regarding uniform types, even after the introduction of daily wear uniforms, the traditional suit-style uniform remained in use, with 60.5% of schools mixing suit-style and daily wear uniforms. Suit-style uniforms accounted for 26.0%, while daily wear uniforms made up 13.5%.

The number of uniform items ranged from at least 1 to a maximum of 16, with an average of 7 items per school. For major items, the price of a winter shirt (suit-style) ranged from a minimum of 10,000 won to a maximum of 178,000 won. For winter pants (suit-style), prices ranged from a minimum of 20,000 won to a maximum of 99,000 won, indicating a wide price variation.

The Ministry of Education noted, "There is significant disparity in the number of items and itemized prices depending on the region and school, and there is price irrationality, such as higher prices being set for items with a high likelihood of additional purchases."

The average bid price through the school-led purchasing system was 265,753 won for suit-style uniforms, which is more than 110,000 won higher than the 152,877 won for daily wear uniforms. The market share of major brands, which has also been cited as a cause of the high uniform cost issue, was nearly 70%. The four leading brands, including Smart and Elite, accounted for 67.8% of the market, confirming a market structure dominated by major brands.

The Ministry of Education plans to post the results of this comprehensive survey on school uniform costs on its own website and the metropolitan and provincial education office websites within this month. Starting next month, each school will disclose the status of school uniform management for the following year, including uniform type, itemized prices, and purchasing methods, on their respective websites. In September, information such as per-student support amounts, uniform type, itemized prices, and selected suppliers will also be released as required items in the School Information Disclosure system.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.