Uniforms in Public Schools - Essay Example

?Introduction A uniform may be defined as a standard outfit, which is worn by members of a certain community, be it a school, hospital, police and military among others, to distinguish them from the rest of the society (Cruz, 2001). In this aspect, distinction can be achieved through the use of unique colors, or badges and logos identifying the wearer with his respective institution. The debate on whether to make school uniforms compulsory for all schools or not has not been without contention, as both the opponents and proponents have continued to bring forward credible arguments, which has left the decision to individual schools to determine their cases. In the US for example, it is observable that majority of schools prefer prescribing dressing codes as opposed to school uniforms, due to the lack of a strict national legislation to make wearing of school uniforms mandatory. In this context, 2006 statistics indicated that only 14% of public schools in the country had their students wearing uniforms, while 55% had dressing codes (Hamilton, 2008). A dressing code is different from uniforms in that students are allowed to wear clothing items of their choice as long as they conform with stipulated restrictions and guidelines, which, for example, may include and not limited to; length of a dress, colors, skin exposure etc. This paper is a critical evaluation on whether school uniforms should be made compulsory as a way of promoting discipline and student motivation. School Uniforms Wearing of School uniforms is a good way of promoting discipline among students as well as motivating them to concentrate on their studies. It is true to say that the contemporary world is full of diversity ranging from different types of cultures to social and economic disparities. This is no different in institutions of learning, where it is found that different students come from families which are different in terms of wealth. In this context, failure to impose uniforms on students would be a way of extending the disparities to schools, as each and every student would be motivated to outdo each other in terms of fashion, whereby it would be easy to tell which student comes from a poor family and which one comes from a wealthy one. This is one way of promoting inequality, which is a potential cause for student distraction as those wearing cheap clothing would be possessed by envy towards their rich counterparts (Cruz, 2001). This means that students wearing cheap clothing would have higher chances of not concentrating on what the teacher is saying, as they would be distracted constantly by the habit of evaluating each other’s outfit. In a mixed class for example, it would be easy to find ladies wearing provocative clothing in the effort to look sexy, which may be a major distraction to their male counterparts, who have a natural instinct of reacting positively to nudity. School uniforms are important in promoting teamwork (Cruz, 2001). It is said that birds of the same feather flock together. In this context, it means that there is a possibility of exclusion, whereby rich students may tend to form their own study groups whereas poor ones would have to form their own despite the fact that knowledge knows no boundaries. This means that coming from a wealthy family does not guarantee academic excellence, whereas coming from a poor family does not imply poverty of ideas. Uniformity in this context would be of great assistance as it would encourage students to bond and assist each other based on the fact that each and every person has his or her own capacity to understand and interpret issues, but as it is believed, two heads are better than one. For example, one may find that a poor student is well established and knowledgeable in a subject such as Mathematics while another from a rich family is good in Physics, but poor in Math and vice versa. If a uniform can play a major role in bringing together these two individuals to assist each other, then, the government and the society at large have a moral obligation to support compulsory wearing of school uniforms. School uniforms have been identified as a good way of increasing obedience among the students. Proponents of this debate are of the view that wearing a uniform is a sign of submission to institutional order (Hamilton, 2008). In a school for example, teachers and lecturers are perceived to be at a higher level in the organization’s hierarchy and as such, they are supposed to be respected at all times by their students. However, in circumstances where a student comes to school with items of clothing, which are far much expensive than what the teachers are wearing, it creates a possibility of intimidation on the part of the teachers, who may find such students as a threat to their authority. This may promote biased attention towards such children but with uniforms in place, there would be healthy interaction between teachers and students as each of them would be well aware of his or her place in the line of authority. Wearing of uniforms reduces promiscuity in students (Cruz, 2001). This is due to the fact that a student will be easily noticed by people in the surrounding environment, who, in their discretion, may find it necessary to take the step of notifying the school’s administration so that they can take the necessary course of action. In a society where students do not wear uniforms, it would be easier for children to run away from school during the day, to go and conduct criminal activities outside the school such as drug trafficking, smoking, alcohol drinking, illicit sex among others, whereas their parents have entrusted the school administration to take care of them in their absence. However, critics may argue that it would be possible for these students to do the same, as they can carry civilian clothing, which they would change into after discarding their uniforms. However true this might be, it is important to note that uniforms may not change the true character of a student but to a greater extent, they compel students to behave in a predictable manner whenever they are in school and on their way home. In fact, it is believed that school uniforms create a sense of pride and belonging such that students will always behave in their best manner whenever they are being watched, for they know that they are the ambassadors of their institutions and as such, they have the responsibility of protecting their image (Hamilton, 2008). No one would want to be associated with failure and indiscipline and as such, loyalty would be a motivation factor for these students to excel in academics as well as co-curricular activities such as sports. This in itself prepares the students for future careers, some of which utilize uniforms and badges to signify their level of authority. The military and the police for example are compelled to uphold their dignity whenever they are in their uniforms, failure to which the whole force would be perceived in a negative manner. This may be the reason why it would be difficult to find an officer staggering in broad daylight as a result of overindulgence in alcohol. School uniforms are a solution to student physical conflicts in institutions of learning. Participation in criminal gang activities has been identified as a major dilemma in schools especially due to the fact that children are being recruited while they are as young as 10 years old, owing to the possibility of being brought up by parents who are gang members. A 2009 report indicated that some of the students were coming to school wearing stab proof vests while others were carrying weapons for defense and attack purposes (Sugden, 2009). In this context, it would be found that lack of uniformity facilitates these students with an option of wearing oversize clothing such as overcoats and baggy trousers, which are utilized to conceal these weapons. In addition, every gang identifies itself with different colors such that it would be possible to know who is with which gang. However, the major problem is that there is always rivalry between these gangs, which at most times, involves violence and destruction of property. It therefore goes without saying, that the same would be a major deterrence to cohesiveness and harmony in schools. To avoid this, all students should be made to wear uniforms, which would ensure that students are free of gang mentality while at school (Cruz, 2001). In a 1996 research conducted in Long Beach on the effects of school uniforms on discipline, it was noted that the level of criminal activities decreased by 91%. Suspension of students due to varied reasons also decreased by 90%, sex crimes by 96% while vandalism decreased by 69% (Hamilton, 2008). These developments were observed after school uniforms were made compulsory in the district. However, Brunsma (2005), disputes these findings in his research, claiming that school uniforms exhibit a low correlation of approximately 0.05 to the said outcomes and therefore, there must have been other intrinsic or extrinsic factors, which contributed to behavioral change in Long Beach students. On the other hand, it would be important to evaluate various opinions raised by critics in this debate, who are opposed to the idea of students wearing school uniforms. For example, it is argued that school uniforms interfere with students’ individuality. This is meant to say that students are forced to abandon their true selves, considering the different cultures and religions, so as to conform to institutional restrictions (Brunsma, 2005). For example, Muslim women have a standardized manner of dressing, i.e. the hijab or abaya, which covers most parts of their bodies. Compelling them to wear uniforms similar to those of non-Muslims may not be taken lightly both by the students and their parents. However, it is important to note that such special needs can be accommodated by the way of designing clothes to suit cultural and religious specifications and at the same time fulfill institutional requirements through their color. It is also believed that school uniforms deny students the freedom to decide on what they should wear to school (Brunsma, 2005). It may be important to state that the welfare and the integrity of an institution are of higher priority than that of an individual or a group of student. As discussed earlier, this freedom has been a major setback as students are utilizing it to create discomfort for their fellow students not withstanding the fact that a lot of time is wasted when a student wakes up in the morning to decide on what clothing he or she is going to wear. The lack of choice facilitates quick preparations to school and also relieves parents of the burden of updating their children’s wardrobe in an effort to keep up with tastes and preferences that are of no positive consequence in academics. These children have a lot of time, after school and during weekends as well as holidays to wear clothes of their choice and therefore, school hours should be spent on academics and not image and fashion. Conclusion School uniforms promote discipline among students and also act as a motivation factor towards academic excellence. They promote equality as it becomes much more difficult to identify a student as coming from a wealthy or a poor background. Children are also made to concentrate on academics other than be distracted by envy towards what their counterparts are wearing. Uniforms also encourage teamwork due to lack of definable boundaries between the rich and the poor students. In addition, students are compelled to be submissive to their leaders as uniforms help to draw the line between them and the administration. Promiscuity is a vice, which can be reduced significantly through wearing of school uniforms. Criminal gangs use unique colors to identify their members and this is one of the critical reasons why uniforms should be made compulsory in all schools. The opinion that such a strategy interferes with student individuality and that it denies children the freedom to choose what to wear are misplaced. Children go to school to learn and achieve good grades; uniformity has been identified as a tool to aide in this especially due to cultural diversity, which is a major recipe for conflict. References Brunsma, D. (2005). Uniforms in Public Schools: A Decade of Research and Debate, Rowman & Littlefield Education. Cruz, B. (2001). School Dress Codes: A Pro/Con Issue, Enslow Publishers. Hamilton, J. (2008). Dress Codes in Schools, Greenhaven. Sugden, J. (2009, January 20). Pupils Wear Stab-Proof Vests as Gang Wars Start At School. The Sunday Times. Retrieved from: Read More

 

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