The concept of school uniforms are quite common in countries located in Asia and around Europe too. And the concept of school uniforms is furthermore quite a largely debated topic. Many people believe that children in their teens should not be forced to wear a uniform to school because this affects the development of their decision making process for their future years. The teen years are afterall the time when children start maturing, both physically and mentally.
Many others believe that no matter what the age of a child, a school uniform is a must because it instills a greater sense of discipline and respect for others.
Throughout the world, there are more number of schools that have the school uniform system in place as opposed to ones that don’t. It’s common in high schools in the United States to leave the choice of dressing to the student.
But, it isn’t correct to completely ostracize one concept from the other because both have their share of pros and cons.
While wearing a uniform can create a greater sense of belonging and oneness among the school kids, not wearing one can help them mature faster. That’s because the decision making process starts with the little things in life.
Browse through the pros and cons below to get a better view on whether a uniform is indeed a pro or con for high school students:
Pros on wearing a uniform
It creates a sense of oneness among the students
Even if there are a wide range of very rich to rich to middle class students in a classroom, wearing a uniform will limit the urge to show off. Because, a uniform comes with certain rules – many schools limit the fashion accessories that can be worn with the school uniform. This way, students are made to feel – uniform.
It instills a greater sense of discipline
In itself, the concept of a uniform makes students feel like they are part of a bigger picture, a real institution. They will be told to behave a certain way and they will learn to be more disciplined as a result of it. Simply because, wearing a uniform gives them the idea that the school has rules and they need to be followed.
It gives the school a professional image
Imagine a school that has a bunch of uniform wearing students walking out to take the bus in a line and one that has a bunch of junk clothed students strolling about, which one would you as an outsider feel is more professional? Although a uniform doesn’t necessarily mean that the school is great at imparting knowledge, but it does give the school and its students more character.
It keeps students in check
With the wide media exposure across television networks and the internet, students like to explore with their dressing by taking ideas from pop icons, movie stars, singers, dancers, etc. This sometimes makes the school ground look like a fashion show and sometimes also makes young students look vulgar. By incorporating the wear-a-uniform technique, students are kept in check, at least during the school hours.
Limits the taste for material things
Wearing a uniform can help limit material wants in students; because, they know they have to wear the uniform everyday and thus they will hardly ever stop to buy things meant for cosmetic purposes or fancy clothes. This helps to control their want for material things to a larger extent.
Helps to focus on education and not looks
The uniform concept helps students focus on their education and not just looks while going to school and this is what the prime objective of going to school is anyway.
Cons on wearing a uniform
It acts as a block to freedom / creativity
Making students wear a uniform act as a block to their freedom and creativity. Although giving students the options of wearing what they would like to at school, sometimes they overdo it. However, there are others who enjoy and look forward to the thrill of dressing up for school and the concept of wearing a uniform comes in the way.
Students explore less with casual dressing
If they have to wear uniforms during their school years, students will explore less with outdoor / casual dressing thus once they finish school they will realize that they have quite a limited wardrobe. This is because, the uniform acted as their daily dress for so many years that they hardly ever felt the need to shop for additional clothes outside of school.
They all look the same
Although this can be construed as a pro, it can also be a con because sometimes parents want their child to stand out in a classroom full of students. They will thus like the opportunity to dress up their child and make them wear what they think suits them and not just a plain uniform day in and day out.
They can be uncomfortable
Just like we all like to choose our clothes based on their styles, their fits, their textures so do young students. Sometimes, the format of a uniform can be pretty uncomfortable and when a young student is expected to wear it everyday, throughout each day, they can end up hating the prospect of school and academics too, especially if they are expected to wear it all the time.
If students get in trouble, the school they come from is easy to identify
If students go out post school hours and get into trouble, they are easy to identify and the reputation of the school suffers as a result. This works against the school’s professional code of conduct and image as a whole.
One has to regularly order new sets
One has to regularly order new sets to maintain the color and texture of the cloth (daily wear can cause quicker tear) and so it can be an expensive way to dress students too in some regards.
As you can see, wearing a uniform has its share of pros and cons…if you are a school administrator and are thinking of introducing the concept of uniforms, maybe what you can do to balance out the system is introduce uniforms for 4 days in the week and leave one day out as a take-a-break or wear-what-you-want day. That way, students get to have some fun too and will look forward to their school days.
