School Uniforms are a highly controversial topic of discussion,
some think that they help reduce socioeconomic barriers between students,
whereas others think they reduce students' individuality
and rob them of their self-expression.
So that this video is easy to understand I’m going to put the pros and cons of school uniforms
into 3 groups,
socioeconomic pros and cons,
pros and cons relating to the effects school uniforms have on students’ individuality
and ability to express themselves
and the educational pros and cons, lets’ get to it
The greatest advantage of school uniforms is their ability to reduce socioeconomic divides
between students.
The word socioeconomic simply refers to something that relates to social and economic factors.
People in favour of school uniforms argue that because everybody wears the same thing
they reduce these differences between students.
Rich kids can’t buy expensive clothes,
and poor students won’t get bullied for not following the set fashion trends.
Furthermore, people argue that in poorer areas uniforms help where certain baggy clothing
can be used to conceal weapons,
or certain clothing used to imply gang affiliation.
Opponents of school uniforms argue that they do not level the playing field between poorer
kids and rich kids,
because they put a significant financial burden on poorer parents to buy the clothing,
this can lead to many kids having one uniform that becomes tatty,
whereas the rich have many.
Moreover, opponents argue that uniforms are about schools making money off parents, and
not about leveling the playing field.
The next group of arguments for and against school uniforms concerns students’ ability
to express themselves and have a sense of individuality.
opponents of school uniforms argue that they rob students of their ability to do this,
because everybody has to wear the same thing.
This lack of self expression can be harder on certain groups under punitive dress codes,
for example certain dress codes force girls to wear exclusively skirts or dresses.
People in favour of school uniforms would argue that students can express their individuality
through clothes accessories such as bags, socks and earrings, x
and that even if that is not the case there is a benefit to students having less individuality,
it can help to enhance school pride and sense of community.
In this sense uniforms can be seen to be more like suits and dresses worn in the workplace,helping
students prepare for adult life.
I think that this represents the essential debate of school uniforms, conformity vs individuality,
should students be taught to respect and do exactly as authority tells them,
or should they be pushed to express themselves and have their own sense of individuality,
can the two ideas be brought together?
The final group of arguments for and against school uniforms relates to their effect on
educational outcomes for students.
Proponents argue that school uniforms get rid of a major distraction,
students are focused less on their own or others’ appearance and instead on their
education.
Also school uniforms are a lot easier to enforce than dress codes, so this also saves time
that can be spent studying.
Opponents of school uniforms would argue that they have no measurable effect on improving
grades or attendance, so their utility should be questioned.
Some also assert that the emphasis on school uniforms is an attempt to distract away from
the quality of education some schools provide.
To conclude, it seems to me that the debate about school uniforms comes down to what value
you think is most important to teach to students, individuality or conformity.
Proponents of school uniforms think that conformity is the most important value, thus school uniforms
can help to reinforce a sense of school pride and respect to authority,
as well as equality amongst students.
Opponents of school uniforms argue that they provide no measurable improvement on students’
educational prospects,
and that they rob them of their individuality and ability to express themselves.
What do you guys think about School Uniforms? write your opinion in the comment section
below.
Don’t forget to like, share and subscribe. Thanks for watching