ShouldStudents Have to Wear School Uniforms?
Wearingof school uniforms is a common culture that is practiced in manyschools across the world. However, some educational institutionsprefer the learners to use their clothes of choice in school. Thisdisparity exists because wearing school uniform has pros and cons. Inmy opinion, students in educational institutions should wear schooluniforms. The discussion on the advantages and the disadvantages ofwearing school uniforms will illustrate the reasons why schooluniform should be prioritized in the learning system.
Schooluniforms give students a sense of identity. By wearing schooluniforms, learners are comfortable being associated with a certaininstitution (Hwang 86). In addition, it is possible to identify theintruders in the institution as all students are in specified schooluniform. It is a way of improving the school security as the gangswill not get into the school unnoticed. According to Hwang (86),identifying the intruders shows a sense of organization in thatpeople take the responsibility of the activities going on in theinstitution.
Apartfrom the pride associated with wearing school uniforms, it givesstudents unity that is required in an institution`s community (Ebertand Richard 213). That way the students are not self-centered and itsresults to the spirit of healthy competition. Togetherness helps indeveloping healthy campaigns and that way they attract theNon-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) interested in financing theiractivities. In contrast with what critics believe, dressing in schooluniform is not boring or dull. These beliefs are just personalopinions of the critics. In as much as it is one color, the students`minds are settled as they do not spend a lot of time thinking aboutwhat to wear (Waldeck 21).
Accordingto Ebert and Richard (213), uniform is not the type of clothes thatone will wear always. That way, it is specified and on wearing it thestudents get committed to attending the classes and lectures. Thatway it helps in improving the attendance of the classes as thelearners are not comfortable loitering while in school uniform.Outsiders can also identify students who are escaping from school andadvice them accordingly as well as reporting to the authority. It isa way of getting the students settled in school.
Schooluniform also helps in improving the discipline of the learners withina school. Since uniform gives the students identity, doing the wrongthings while in uniform will be noticeable. Students in schooluniform avoid getting involved in wrong activities to evadepunishment, which improves school discipline (Brunsma152). The students also manage to resist peer pressure that goesalong with trends and fashion as there is no competition of thetrendy clothes. The students also improve their punctuality. As aresult, there is a lot of class time that is saved.
Whenthe students do not use school uniform there is also the social andeconomic barriers created. Therefore, school uniform helps in closingthese gaps. Uniform is less expensive to acquire and the studentswill not feel left out as it is worn by all (Rozakis 134). Trendyclothes make those who are not able to afford uncomfortable in theschool as in many cases they will afford the old fashioned clothes.Therefore, school uniform helps in standardizing the social andeconomic class of all the learners.
Onthe contrary, critics of school uniform have their different view ofthe school uniform. It is believed that school uniform violated thelearner`s right to freedom of expression (Rozakis 134). That freedomis expressed through student`s choice of how to dress. It is alsobelieved that in the free public education, the school uniform is anextra cost as the parents are expected to buy the school uniformwhereas they can comfortably use their home clothes. That way, itbecomes a financial burden to the children from the poor families.
Sincethe school uniforms are conspicuous to all, it makes the students aneasier target for bullying from students in other schools (Ebert andRichard 213). It is undeniable that there is constant unhealthycompetition between students from different schools. It can besteered by conspicuously noticeable uniform by students from opponentinstitutions as they get noticed through their uniforms. It is also achallenge in the public schools where the education is free toenforce the use of the school uniform (Brunsma21). Parents take it as a burden to incur extra cost in the schooluniform as the education is free. On the other hand, most parentsthat take the students to public schools have a very low source ofincome that cannot cater for the expenses of the school uniform.
Inconclusion, the issue of the school uniform is controversial due tothe pros and cons associated with use of the school uniform. However,advantages outdo the disadvantages. That way, it is better toemphasize the use of uniforms as it is a way of curbing many socialevils in the society. As much as it is a way of enhancing discipline,it increases the sense of belonging hence increasing the unity amongthe learners. A lot of time is also saved through punctuality as wellas when the students take a shorter time to think about what to wear.It is also a way of doing away with the social and the economicbarriers among the students.
WorksCited
Hwang,Sun-Young. ThinkingAllowed: A Teenager`s View on Human Rights.Partridge Singapore, 2013. Print.
Brunsma,David. Uniformsin public schools: a decade of research and debate.Lanham,Ma: Rowman& Littlefield Education,2006. Print.
Ebert,Edward S, and Richard C. Culyer. School: AnIntroduction to Education.Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
Rozakis,Laurie. Mcgraw-hill`s Sat 2400!: A SneakPreview of the New Sat I Verbal Section.New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Print.