Why Students Don’t Have to Wear School Uniforms?

Over the years, there has been a debate about whether school uniforms are needed or not. And of course, some people support this idea, and also some see it as an irrelevant mandate. 

Although, those people who are in support of this often say that wearing uniforms in schools makes students have a feeling of equality and that it also teaches discipline. I firmly believe that there is more negativity attached to wearing of uniforms in schools than the advantages. And in such cases where disadvantages outweigh the benefits of a culture, what do you think will happen? 

Wearing school uniforms deprives students of their freedom of personal expression. That is, freedom to express themselves through clothing. Countries like the United States of America believe that everyone should have equal freedom of right to appearance. 

In this article, we will give reasons why students should not wear school uniforms to school. 

Brief History of Uniforms

Wearing of uniforms has been a culture for centuries now. In the form of garments, the first reported case of the usage of school uniforms was in the year 1222. During that period, Students put on a robe-like outfit. 

Read More: College Essay Tips on Pros and Cons of School Uniform

In the 16th century, in England, students of the Christ Hospital Boarding School wore a blue-green cassock, and yellow stockings, to make them appear like the clergymen who looked after them. 

Now let’s look at some reasons why students don’t need to wear school uniforms. 

1. School Uniforms Deprive Students of Freedom of Expression

 Being able to express yourself is a right that every parent wants their children to learn from a young age. If students are not permitted to demonstrate their individuality and originality through dressing, they may develop feelings of oppression and discouragement, which can damage their personality.

2. School Uniforms Can Be an Extra Cost

Paying for school uniforms can be a waste of money, especially if your children attend school for up to 5 or 6 days weekly. The implication of this is that they would need an extra set of uniforms. 

Most families who are not financially buoyant may find it hard to bear the cost of a school uniform, especially in cases when there is an exclusive deal between schools and suppliers. In situations like this, buying regular clothes may be much less expensive than paying for school uniforms. 

3. Students Can Feel Policed in School Uniforms

If a school has a policy that guides the wearing of dresses, it enforces it by monitoring students’ dressing and penalizing them if they disregard such uniform requirements.

Overemphasizing uniform policy through thorough policing, and punishing of students can be offensive. It can make students feel penalized for their physical appearance, which could play a significant role in lowering their self-esteem and could change their perception of the school. 

Furthermore, if students are sent home for uniform policy infringements, they will miss precious learning time. 

4. Uniforms Do Not Promote a Culture

No doubt those costumes fail to promote culture among students from different ethnicity. That is, uniforms promote intolerance of culture.

 In our world, there are various cultures, traditions, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Most school uniforms design does not fit the traditional dress of a population. They are mostly designed to symbolize just one culture. 

Instead of striving for equality among students through the mandatory wearing of school uniforms, it would be much more useful to promote real equality by allowing students to wear what they want. 

Consequently, this allows students to learn how to interact with other groups and create future policies that can lead to real equality.

5. Uniforms Can Be a Hindrance to a Student’s Transition to Adulthood

Students begin to tread the path that leads to Adulthood right from their early days in school. Therefore, mandating them to wear school uniforms can be a hindrance to their development. 

Besides, if a student is restrained by having to wear a school uniform, he or she is denied the freedom to make personal decisions, which is one of the distinguishing traits of Adulthood. 

Conclusively, clothing is one of the ways of carving an identity. Without the freedom to choose, the development and transition of a student to Adulthood can be deterred.

6. School Uniform Does Not Improve Academic Performance

One of the significant problems schools today is poor academic performance. There is no detectable correlation between school uniforms and the academic performance of students. One of the many reasons for going to school is to boost academic performance.

And, once a student is ambitious and hard-working, academic excellence isn’t far ahead. So, wearing of school uniform does not affect a students’ performance. 

7. Uniforms Cause Less Comfortability

As a result of varying weather conditions throughout an academic session, students may feel very uncomfortable at some point. We know very well that every season requires a specific type of dressing. For example, people wear light clothes during summer because of heat, and thick ones during winter due to intense cold. 

Therefore, making students wear one type of cloth all year long can make them very uncomfortable, and can lead to sparse learning. 

Final Words

While some people believe that school uniforms offer many advantages to students, I firmly believe that it has just as many disadvantages, if not more. 

From what we have read so far, we can see that wearing school uniforms has various adverse effects on students both emotionally and psychologically. We looked at disadvantages such as lack of freedom of expression, extra expense, lack of promotion of individual culture, a hindrance to adulthood transition, and reduced comfort, which you would agree with. 

Therefore, students should be allowed to wear what they want to wear because it makes them feel more confident, comfortable, and happy. I hope that this article helps you understand that school uniforms should not be a mandatory dress code for today’s students.