Dressed for Success, the Benefits of School Uniforms

JUSTISIA SHIPENA
Could wearing a uniform determine a student’s pass or fail?

Ages ago, uniforms were made to be worn by students attending private schools but as the focus turned to standerdised test scores and improving them, a new trend was introduced. And soon most public schools joined in.

Aside from the obvious benefits in school pride, unity, and community spirit, wearing uniforms is believed to promote school attendance and focus in class. With students all looking alike, their attention is drawn to the teacher, instead of consuming their time thinking of who has the latest sneakers, they willingly pay attention to the lesson. This is according to the National Centre for Education (NCES) in their 2018 studies.

School uniforms create a level playing field among students, reducing peer pressure and bullying. The unnecessary competition between students over clothing choices and humiliating those who are dressed in less fashionable or less expensive outfits can be eliminated. This motivates a fair competition between classmates from an academic stand.

Uniform policies save valuable class time because they are easier to enforce than a standard dress code. A standard uniform can end the fight of inappropriate dress code, with students and teachers being able to come to a compromise, the hassle over this debate can be laid to rest and pupils can be excused from wasting time getting lectured.

School uniforms make getting ready for school easier, which can improve punctuality. Keeping the focus on education should be the main idea of a school uniform and it does just this by allowing students to get dressed in a set of clothes which laid ready for the next day. Students do not need to spend time choosing appropriate outfits for the school day and can instead focus their minds on what is really important.