Uniform Inspection Time

Recently the argument here in Bim has been over students at a particular secondary school being suspended for wearing the school's uniform incorrectly. While the newspaper article did not state what percentage was male or female, we can assume that some were girls, with skirts too short and boys with pants that did not fit according to school rules.

I'm all for wearing of a school uniform. Persons who want to be individuals in the way they dress can do so after school and on weekends. While I did have an issue with the suspension, I believe that rules are meant to be followed and students should therefore be disciplined when they break them. We're always talking about the rights of children but we seldom speak of the responsibilities.  It is the right of the child to receive an education, it is also the responsibly of that child to follow the rules of the educational institution.

If students are allowed to break school rules without any repercussions, we as adults would be sending them the wrong message.  There are some who say that learning is not dependent on how you wear the school uniform.  That is correct, to some extent. It depends, I think, on what type of learning we are trying to accomplish.  By learning do we mean the 3 R's (Reading 'riting and 'rithmetic) or is there social learning involved when we go to school? The setting/following of school rules is all part of our social learning.

With all the fuss that  persons keep over school uniforms (both parent and child) when we leave school and venture into the world of work, in most organizations, we are obliged to wear some type of uniform. It may be something as simple as wearing long sleeved shirts and a tie for men and skirts and blazers for women. Even persons who are small business owners create their own uniforms.

Suspension for incorrect uniform is the small picture. The big picture is the life long lessons we teach our children and the type of society we are trying to create. If  parents have a big problem with the rules at the school with regards to the uniform (or even punishment) then I say, lobby the Ministry of Education, the principal and the school's board (via the PTA) for a change, until then it is skirts 3 inches below the knee biscuit and no skinny pants.