Tuesday, January 13, 2009
ARE SCHOOL UNIFORMS NECESSARY ?
To tackle the question of whether or not school uniforms are necessary , we must first understand the concept of uniform . Uniforms are used to represent a group or organisation , giving its members a sense of unity and common identity . Why is it then , that some countries do not emphasize on the need for uniformity ?
Firstly , in some countries such as America , students have no need for uniforms as they believe that they should express themselves , their character and/or personality through what they wear . Their culture is such that the students use their appearance to express their individual selves instead of sharing a common identity .
However , in Singapore , the government believes that uniforms are of great importance in fostering school unity amongst our students . In my opinion , I believe this is partly due to the multiracial society that Singapore has , hence it is important to maintain the friendly relations among races . The government does however , allow some autonomy by giving schools the freedom to select their own uniforms , and thus it is easy to identify students from different schools .
On a more personal level , I feel that school uniforms give me a sense of belonging to the school and it is able to show others which school I am from and connects me with other schoolmates with a common identity . Wearing school uniforms in my opinion also restricts the actions of the student wearing it as the public can write in to the school to complain of the pupil's unruly behaviour . Afterwhich , the school will take disciplinary actions as per necessary . Furthermore , wearing school uniforms also helps to instill discipline in students as we have to act appropriately and behave as a student , being mindful of our actions as the public will be watching us .
On the other hand , I think that the reason why polytechnics and universities allow its students to dress as they please is because the government feels that by that age , ( 17 years and above ) , the students should be mature enough to dress appropriately for school . Hence , they are allowed to choose their attire .
In conclusion , to people of the same culture as ours , uniforms are necessary as it gives us a sense of identity and instills discipline in us while at the same time , it lets others know how to approach and attend to us . While people of a different culture may be allowed to choose their dressing , i still feel that it is better to stick to Singapore's culture and wear uniforms as it gives me a sense of unity with the other students and creates a bond between me and my school .
Labels: THE END .
Everything starts with black and white , just follow law
2:23 AM