Have you ever thought why some institutions instil the need to wear a uniform? In today’s age there is a growing number of schools and students in every country and city, and it’s necessary to wear a uniform to differentiate from the entire mix. There are also other reasons as to why students are required to wear school uniforms: https://www.theclassroom.com/ten-children-should-wear-uniforms-8231075.html. According to some of the educational institutions for example the US Department of Education, the act of wearing a school uniform instils discipline and good behaviour in students and apparently decreases theft and most importantly, lessens violence amongst them. This also helps the school authority figure to differentiate between the students and none-students or intruders who may come inside the school. The majority of the schools in any district have a school uniform or dress code policy which provides students and parent’s knowledgeable information on which clothes are not be work in the school, during operational hours. So, the employment of a school uniform is not necessarily something new. Around the world, students have been dressing themselves in school uniforms for spans of times. Whether they like it or not is debatable and perhaps a topic for another article, there are some pros and cons to it i.e. a mixed consensus : https://school-uniforms.procon.org/
The History
Be it a good idea or bad, have you ever thought about the history or where it came from or who wore it first? According to written records, the first people to ever wore were back in England in the year 1222. At one of the existing schools the students wore a robe-like outfit they called a 'cappa clausa.' But, only in the 1600’s did the ore modern schools implement wearing it. Around this era, a boarding school called Christ's Hospital authorized wearing school uniforms for its students that the population themselves provided. This were adorned in a combination of a blue cloak and yellow stockings, was the beginning of the phrase ‘blue cloak schools.’ Later on, with the advent of both Private and Preparatory Schools also included in this idea of a uniform. The private school uniforms and preparatory schools uniforms, became associated with the aristocratic society as they used them more and became a sort of status quo. However, the private school uniforms were highly formal, with ties and below the knee skirts and dresses with collars and jackets, some were even adorned with black top hats up until the 70’s when this the idea changed to a slightly less formal look.
Uniforms from around the globe:
Australia: this idea began approximately in the 1920’s and boys often wore shorts or short trousers. They then started wearing caps as well (similar to school in England). Here the boys walked around without shoes, they enjoyed being barefoot. After WW2 uniforms became less formal and this carried on till date, the casual look is now more popular than ever.
Africa: missionaries who travelled to Africa brought he idea of uniforms to schools. This was to differentiate a school student from an outsider or intruder and so these became more popular amongst. The down side was that this was also a way of controlling the population. But despite this negative connotation they enjoy wearing them and makes them feel connected, all as one. Instead of different rankings. More Info .
China: theirs was a late adoption since the dawn of the 1900’s. This idea for them was a ‘modernity’ symbol. That the country is moving forward and implementing western ideas into their culture. Although the combination of the country’s culture into the uniforms was also delivered to show the differentiation of the two. When they first came out they all looked the same, both boys and girls, but later they decided to change this and re-create them to fit more male and female accessories like girls would wear bow ties and boys would wear a tie, or girls would war blouses and skirts and boys wore suits with ties as mandatory.
Japan: is a country that was not directly influenced by the west or the idea of school uniforms. Here as well the idea became prevalent in the 19th Century, theirs were based more on the French military style. Similar to other schools, their reasoning behind wearing them was to show how excellent its citizens are. The uniforms for girls look similar to that sailors wore and the boys were close to military uniforms. Some of the trendy teens also wear their uniforms to go out, and accessorise them with their own personal touches.
Some schools face back lash from students because some of their personal opinions include things like, it takes away their individuality or their ‘identity’ is stripped when they are forced to wear something they would never if given a choice. Others enjoy the inclusion of it, makes them feel as though they belong to a whole. The issue is that in both scenarios, pros and cons, students have shown that in one-way school uniforms help students with behavioural problems, but in another way, it hinders students’ behaviours or doesn’t show any difference in behaviour at all. this is a debatable topic. Learn more here .
