039 Uniforms
So why are we talking about this now?
Well, the short answer is simply because the new Philippine education secretary, Vice President Sara Duterte, made mention of it. Whether or not this was triggered by questions from media or concerned citizens doesn’t really matter. What matters is how we’re going to look at and address this “issue”.
I must point out that the official stand of the new education secretary is not a new policy—it’s been in place for over a decade now. The thinking then was that school uniforms shouldn’t be made mandatory in public schools so that parents—especially poor parents—won’t be burdened by additional costs for sending their children to school.
Seems fair.
However, there’s some confusion about this, which I think is due mainly to the public’s inability to dissect what has been said. So there are parents complaining about the policy. Some are saying that uniforms are good (So why this policy?); some insist that uniforms are bad (So why this policy?). It boils down to them not appreciating the word “mandatory”.
The policy simply states that students are not required to wear the uniform. It doesn’t say they can’t. I hope that becomes clear to people in the coming days. But the bigger issue here is whether or not we—as education stakeholders—really appreciate the significance of school uniforms. There are pros and cons here that may not be obvious to the average person, which I think are worth mentioning. Here are some of the possible benefits—
- Safety. School uniforms may help deter crime since students are easier to identify both in and out of the school campus.
- Non Discrimination. Uniforms may help reduce discrimination based on socio-economic differences.
- Peer Acceptance. Uniforms may help reduce risk of bullying and peer pressure. At the very least, there’s less chance for students to show off gang colors and symbols.
- Attendance. Uniforms may help improve attendance and punctuality since students need not spend too much time worrying about what to wear.
- Time Savings. Uniforms may help reduce valuable class time required to check students’ compliance with the school’s dress code.
- School Spirit. Uniforms may help promote school pride and unity among students.
- Focus. Uniforms may help students focus more on education instead of what clothes they’re wearing (and what their classmates are wearing). At the same time, there’s less clutter in the room if they’re all wearing the same clothes.
- Discipline. Uniforms may help improve student decorum.
- Cost. Uniforms may help reduce cost of sending the child to school.
Here are some of the possible negative implications—
- Safety. School uniforms may actually put students at risk, especially when outside the school campus.
- Discrimination. Uniforms may actually increase discrimination, especially if some students opt not to wear the uniform because they cannot afford it. And whether we admit it or not, some teachers tend to have a more favorable perception of students who wear the uniform over those who don’t.
- Freedom of Expression. Uniforms may restrict freedom of expression and individuality in favor of conformity (Of course, there are still ways for students to express their individuality even while they wear the uniform).
- Cost. Uniforms may actually mean more expenses for sending the child to school.
It must be noted that, in general, parents (and teachers) want the uniform; students do not.
Obviously, the main motivation of parents, especially in our Third World economy, is how uniforms impact on their finances. Interestingly, this swings both ways, with some parents saying it’s more economical to have uniforms, while others say that it’s more expensive.
Ultimately, however, most parents here would make the choice based solely on such financial considerations.
That’s understandable. And I think that this long standing policy is the right one, for now, since it gives the parents the choice. That said, we must also be aware of the other implications mentioned here, since they do impact on each child’s well-being. This means that parents and teachers must take appropriate measures to counteract the negative repercussions of wearing or not wearing the uniform.
That said, we must realize that at the end of the day, this issue is nothing more than a distraction to the bigger problems of education and the need to come up with genuine solutions to these problems.
Uniform or no uniform, the poor quality of education in the country is still the most significant problem that remains unaddressed.