School Uniforms Pros and Cons

The school looks very good. The uniforms are a good thing. It will be easy for my wife. She won't have to fight about clothes. ~ Benjamin Franklin

Let me go to Clinton's new proposal: to have uniforms in public schools. And people are doing that. How come they're doing that? Dress codes! I find that abhorrent. ~ Russell Means

Before we get to the actual gist of the article, looking at the pros and cons of wearing school uniforms for kids, let's get some facts clear. As many of you may already know, many junior and high school around the world have a mandatory rule of wearing uniforms to school. Students in these countries are not allowed to wear any other clothes while they come to school for the duration of the day. As for the United States, almost all private schools have a required uniform that students have to wear.

Like all worldly occurrences, school uniforms have faced a melange of responses. The debate, whether wearing a school uniform is right or wrong, good or bad, doesn't seem to find a conclusion. There are mixed feelings about this policy; some like it, other dislike it, and few don't mind following it. Many love it, many hate it, few don't mind it, few could live without it. Parents, teachers, school administration, and even students, all have varied opinions about the topic at hand. However, in order to reach at a logical platform, we need to first look at both sides of the coin. What I mean to say is, we need to know what are the pros and cons of making school uniforms mandatory in every school.

Schools Uniform Pros
Whether or not you agree with having students wear uniforms, it is necessary to understand what each side is talking about. If you are "pro uniforms" in school, then perhaps you will agree to the following points which we are about to discuss. Let us see the pros of school uniforms (these are mostly from the PTA point of view).

► School uniforms are a great way to maintain the level of social equality amongst the students of public schools. The concept of knowing the social background is avoided. As such, personal biases are not formed and merit is the only deciding factor. It makes kids treat each other equally; not judging by what clothes they wear. ► Modesty in attire can be maintained. It is very easy, if school uniforms are a part of the system, to avoid promiscuity in young adults. Students will learn to respect each other on the basis of how they get along and not how sexy they look. Demeaning or bullying other kids will lessen or stop altogether. ► The extent of distraction (due to undue attraction) is considerably reduced. Let's face it; if girls won't wear provocative clothes to school, guys in school will be less distracted. More so, uniforms can help in avoiding random attraction and its repercussions. ► Builds a sense of ambassadorship and loyalty in the students. Due to the fact that all the students will be dressing in similar attire, which will be unique to the school, the students will develop a sense of ambassadorship and loyalty to the school. ► School uniforms help avoid occurrences of complex syndromes (inferiority and superiority). Uniforms will help avoid silly psychological issues. Students will not be known by what they wear, but by how they perform. ► Kids can build team spirit. When you wear specific colors, a sense of unity can be developed. Similar attire fosters team spirit. ► School uniforms encourage a sense of proprietary and discipline. Uniforms will create a sense of discipline and an ability in the students, to make sure that they are dressed in accordance to the expectation of the school.

So now, it seems that school uniforms are a great idea. But before making up your mind about them, hold on. Read the next section to get to know the other side of the coin as well.

School Uniform Cons
Many parents and students are concerned if their schools will implement the rule of wearing school uniforms soon. Of course, they have their own set of reasons for choosing the old system (of not wearing uniforms). So what are the advantages, or here, the cons of wearing school uniforms? Let us see find out (these are mostly from the students point of view).

► There won't be a hindrance on lack of freedom of expression. Clothes are often said to be a mode of expressing yourself. As such school uniforms could be a major hurdle in the road to self-expression. ► There will be no compulsion for following a dress code. A lot of people have personal takes on dressing. If the school uniform does not adhere to that it could become a life-style issue. ► Students won't foster cocoon-like environment among themselves or groups. School uniforms create a false sense of security. If the student gets used to being respected for their mind and not looks, the "outside world" could come as quite a surprise to them. ► School uniforms can get boring and mundane. Same clothes, same color, every day can be quite boring. The absence of different types of apparel and colors in the surrounding could prove to be quite depressing. ► Lowered scope for personality development and self-discovery can be sensed. In order to know your place in the world around you, you need to see how you fit in it. As such a school uniform (with all its uniformity) could be a hurdle in the path of niche creation and self discovery. ► Uniforms can have several derogatory interpretations. How can one forget the "sexy school girl" concept. A school uniform is known to have such an impact on adolescents. This could lead to more corruption of the mind than absence of uniforms. ► A school uniform means, added expenditure. Let's face it. You will need to spend more money on the uniforms as you can not wear your regular clothes to school. This may seem like a petty issue as of now, but in the long run, it has a major impact on your wallet.

Aren't you in a dilemma as well. Now that you have read the pros and cons of school uniforms, what do you think,are school uniforms good or bad? Before I conclude, I would like to give a piece of my mind here. No aspect of society (school uniforms in this case) is necessarily good or bad. It is a matter of perception and timing. So, the simplest way to live, is to accept things for what they are and not expect them to be something they're not!