With countless arguments coming up on why students should not wear school uniforms and why they should, there comes about a need to have an analysis done of the same, a pros and cons list that will allow us to look deep into this issue and understand what a school uniform signifies.
I oscillated between feelings of discarding the school uniform and wearing it, all throughout my school years. I went to a school that had a uniform, but luckily, not to a college that had one. I’ve been through both these phases and I understand the intricacies of wearing a uniform and not wearing one, just as well. When you’re younger, a school uniform seems a matter of pride, when you’re older, the same uniform seems a shackle. Or that could be just me. I will not dwell into my personal preferences at this point in time, but there will be arguments drawn and factors taken in for why students should not wear uniforms and why students should. If we could just draw our attention to the matter at hand then.
Pros and Cons of School Uniforms
Should school children wear uniforms or are they better off without them? Both points of view present compelling arguments and it is necessary to follow them both through. Let’s try to do just that then.
Pros
Everyone dresses the same so everyone thinks the same. You produce a mass effect, a common generation with that uniform, is what you do. Not wearing the same kind of clothes, then may it be a uniform, is a way of self expression. Expressing yourself with your clothes and creating your individual style is a coveted sentiment, especially for adolescents who are just about finding a way in the adult world. So not having a uniform allows for self expression, maybe more so a factor for adults than school kids. It also, therefore, automatically leads to celebratingindividuality of a person. Not to be looked as just a part of a ‘group’, but as someone who has their own personality and behavioral patterns. That is the advantage of having no uniform to adhere to.
What’s next? The comfort that donning one’s own clothes brings. Definitely a school uniform can’t satisfy that need. Feeling comfortable in what you wear allows you to think better and thereby concentrate on results.
Factor in the cost of getting that uniform. Parents who aren’t really into shelling out excess money for, or are not in the position to find funds for sponsoring that uniform―what about them? Is it right to have this rule when some might find it difficult to sponsor the same?
Cons
So what happens when students do wear school uniforms? What are the kind of things that can rise from being recognized as a group? First and foremost, that right there―Being a part of a group is something that allows for developing feelings of belonging. This teaches students what it takes to be a part of a group, what it means to have needs and expectations, and how to fulfill them as their own.
Of the varied benefits of school uniforms, wearing one, it is said, leads the way and transcends all the socio-economic barriers that are put into action when it comes to expressing yourself with clothes. What you wear, why isn’t the latest fashion evident in your wardrobe and the like are some of the things that a school uniform will just about break through. When everyone wears the same clothes, the question of analyzing socio-economic backgrounds and money making powers don’t come into the picture.
It has been studied that factors like bullying for the sake of not wearing certain clothes do not make an entrant as well. Students therefore interact as a group, and issues of groupism do not make way.
It has also been studied and conclusions drawn that schools that have uniforms have students exhibiting better school results. A serious study environment is encouraged when there is the power of the uniform looming large. A sense of responsibility to perform well is seen rampant.
Should school uniforms be made compulsory? Maybe they should, maybe they shouldn’t. What we can’t deny is the fact that there are arguments on both sides. Which side wins and which side loses, now that is for you to decide.
