Should school uniforms be banned – an open Speech
One of the many complaints students in our country have about school is having to wear uniforms. Some parents share this view and thus have campaigned for school uniforms to be banned. However, I disagree, as school uniforms serve many useful purposes that make them an important part of our education system.
One reason why school uniforms should not be banned is that they prevent discrimination and bullying based on economic status. Without uniforms, the rich would dress better than the poorer students making the difference in their economic status clear. This could lead to discrimination. It would encourage undesirable attitudes such as pride and arrogance, envy and jealousy, and also bullying. Uniforms help make all students appear equal.
Besides this, school uniforms help schools avoid the problem of inappropriate dressing. Modern fashions include clothing that is revealing. Such clothing is unsuitable for a school environment. It would be difficult for the school authorities to enforce rules of dressing without school uniforms. Even in countries where dress codes are enforced in the place of school uniforms, such as the USA, teachers face many problems with students wearing inappropriate clothing to school. School uniforms are the best solution to this problem, and thus should not be banned.
A section of people argues that school uniforms make the school boring due to a lack of variety. However, this is not a good argument. When there is too much variety, it can lead to distraction. Not only will students be spending too much time decking themselves out for school every day but they will also be distracted by what their friends wear. This will take their attention away from what is important, that is, their studies. Therefore, having school uniforms would be beneficial to students’ performance in school, as it would enable them to better focus their attention on studying.
To conclude, school uniforms should not be banned as they serve a number of important functions in schools. However, given the fact that they are an additional cost to students’ families, care should be taken that the purchase and upkeep of uniforms is not an undue burden to less fortunate students.
