Yin Sau Lau /staff reporter

Uniforms are a set of standard clothes students wear to school, mostly in primary and secondary schools. Uniforms are not common in Canada, but it is a tradition in some countries such as Britain, Japan, and China.

Some Canadian schools have uniform requirements, though they are mostly private schools. According to the national center for education statistics, in the 2017–18 school year, 20% of U.S. public schools required students to wear uniforms.

In the schools which require students to wear uniforms, students need to make sure their uniforms are neat and tidy every day before school.

In some schools with uniforms, students cannot wear earrings or dye their hair. The requirements promoted good behaviors and orders in school as they remind students that they always have a standard to meet in school. The effects of uniforms improve students’ behaviors so that they can focus better in class, having a better performance in school.

School uniforms helped students build a sense of unity within the school. When everyone wears the same uniform, students feel more included and comfortable, it can help them feel like they belong to their school, which boosted school pride and spirit. The concept is similar to the team suits, for example, the jazz band in Gleneagle requires students to wear sweaters with the logo of Gleneagle in their performances. When they wear the same sweater, others could easily recognize them as a member of the band.

Some people argued that uniforms limit students’ self-expression, students may want to express their tastes in fashion by choosing their own clothes for school.

However, students may worry about peer pressure if they don’t need to wear uniforms, they may compare their clothes to others, worried about their looks. Uniform is a solution for this problem because it is a standard for students, which saved students from the stress of searching through their wardrobe every morning for something to wear to school. It creates a sense of equality; students will be less likely to compare themselves to others.

While wearing a uniform, students can still have their personal expressions. The schools can allow students to dye hair and wear accessories, which is not in conflict with school uniforms.

School uniforms improve students’ behavior, create a sense of belonging in school, and reduce students’ stress in comparison with peers. With the successful examples in other countries, BC schools could imitate them and bring in uniforms.

Sources:

  1. national center for education statistics
  2. The Guardian
  3. Cornerstone schools
  4. The Perspective
  5. American Preparatory

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Featured image （photoshopped image）
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