The Competition Protection Agency arrests 12 violating schools for engaging in monopolistic practices

The Competition Protection and Monopolistic Practices Prevention Agency seized 12 violating schools for engaging in monopolistic practices in the school uniform distribution market.

 

The agency explained – in a statement – that it launched the awareness campaign “Know your rights when entering schools.” Which aims to clarify the rights of parents and students and clarify the responsibilities and obligations of schools and producers and suppliers of school uniforms, while highlighting the monopolistic practices that must be avoided in this vital market that affects a wide sector of citizens.

He added that he allocated a hotline number to receive reports related to school uniforms in order to facilitate reporting and save effort and time for the informants, which resulted in The agency received many reports against a group of schools by both parents and producers and suppliers of school uniforms affected by these practices. 

He explained that examination and investigation procedures were taken and evidence collected regarding these reports, which included field research procedures, including visits to violating schools and places that sell school uniforms, and communicating with those who filed the reports and parents. matters.

Which resulted in proving that the violating schools differed in the methods of their establishment – Whether governmental, official, linguistic, private or international – by abusing its dominant position in the school uniform market by committing a set of monopolistic practices that varied from restricting distribution operations to obliging parents to buy school uniforms from specific outlets and not others, by withholding the specifications of the new school uniforms for the different stages of education, and not announcing them before the start of the school year for a sufficient period specified by the decision of the Minister of Education and Technical Education for a period of two months. At least, in addition to linking obligations and products that are not related to each other, such as linking obtaining the educational service with the obligation to purchase school uniforms from a specific outlet, or linking the purchase of uniforms in the form of a complete set without retail.

The agency indicated that monopolistic practices in the school uniform sector are among the practices that affect a wide sector of citizens, and also cause serious damage to the market for the production and supply of school uniforms as a whole by limiting the capacity of factories. And the stores working to remain in the markets and harm their investments due to the inability to manufacture school uniforms and sell them to parents, in addition to that they constitute an obstacle to the entry of new investments into those markets, which would reduce the size of workers in this market, in addition to that they lead to restricting the consumer’s well-being and exaggerating prices by forcing him to buy from specific places, which deprives him of his right to choose the source of obtaining school uniforms. In a manner that suits its capabilities and according to its quality and prices. 

He added that appropriate legal measures were immediately taken, with the violating schools obligated to take a number of corrective measures to stop monopolistic practices and adjust their conditions for the current academic year and the coming years. 

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