O Level: Should secondary students wear school uniform?

Wearing school uniform is compulsory in secondary schools especially in Singapore context. The school apparel gives the students a sense of belonging and symbolises the school that they are from. However, there has been a debate on whether wearing school uniform is absolute necessary. Some feel that students should be given a right to express their individuality while others believe that school should make wearing uniform compulsory. It is agreed that all secondary school students should wear school uniform because it benefits the student, the family and the school as well.
 

Firstly, wearing school uniform is definitely beneficial to the students. Imagine waking up in the morning to choose the matching clothes every day. This is definitely a hassle and a  time-consuming activity as the student needs to  match the dressing, the hair accessories and the shoes as well.  They will then shop for enough clothes to last the whole week or even the entire month.  They also have to be in line with the latest fashion trends so that they will be accepted by their friends.

Also, the student needs to have enough money to spend on the clothes. This causes undue stress since a student may not be able to afford the exorbitant cost of buying new apparel all the time.  This may lead to a need for a part-time job that would distract one from their studies. Some may even resort to stealing from homes or shops in order to wear branded clothes to school.  The poorer ones often end up with clothes of low budget and quality and may be looked down upon by the richer, unsympathetic classmates and end up with an inferiority complex. To avoid being taunted or jeered, some students may even think of shoplifting to be able to obtain such fashionable clothing. To add on, there may be more bullying in school since many students would end up being ridiculed by their mean classmates and become ostracized as well. They may then feel lousy about themselves and become disinterested in their studies and fare poorly in their academic achievement.
 

Secondly, if students wear their own choice of clothes, it will lead to unnecessary family conflicts. Children expect their parents to provide for them. However, some lower-income families cannot afford such extravagance. Children, due to their lack of maturity, may end up blaming their parents for their lack of financial means. Furthermore, parents and children normally have different set of ideas about appropriate dressing. Many a time, parents regard their children's dressing as too revealing and arguments may arise as a result. Wearing too revealing clothes may also attract unnecessary attention and causes parents to be more worried about their children's safety. By making school uniform compulsory, this would avert unnecessary family conflicts.

 

Thirdly, wearing school uniform is beneficial to the school. If students wear school uniform, it creates a sense of school spirit and teamwork. Values such as team spirit and a sense of community will then be inculcated inside them and these are important life skills that are favoured by many business companies.  Wearing a school uniform also internalizes the need to learn and study in the mind of the students.  Students tend to act out the role that they are playing better if they are wearing the right apparel for the purpose.  Also, wearing school uniform is also an added security feature for the school.  There will be greater security in the schools because schools can identify who their students are and prevent suspicious, seedy characters from entering the school compounds.  Thus, wearing school uniform is clearly advantageous from the perspective of the school.

However, some argue that by wearing school uniform, it prevents students from

developing a sense of creativity and individuality. It is believed that this is not necessary true as secondary school life is only four to five years long and the students can develop such traits later in life.

 

To sum up, wearing school uniform in secondary schools produces advantages to the individual, the educational institution and the family. Hence, I feel that this regulation should continue. It is believed that the secondary schools would not abolish this wise practice.

 

http://www.gate.net/~rwms/UniformRay.html