Cutting the cost of school uniforms? Why not cut them altogether?

Irish parents are to be balloted on school uniforms in the coming weeks in the latest government scheme, which aims to reduce the cost of uniforms to families. According to the newspapers, supermarkets seem to be able to sell uniforms (without crests) for less than €30 in total but when crests come into play, the price seems to rise significantly. The government are going to survey every family in the country to get them to vote on what they’d like to do and then schools will have to implement this vote in September.

It appears that schools are forcing families to shell out lots of money for uniforms and the suggestion is that if parents could buy generic ones in supermarkets in a particular colour that they all choose, this would be a good solution. A Bernardo’s survey suggests that the average price of a uniform in primary schools is €95 so one can see how savings could be made by parents if they were to buy their child’s clothes in whatever shop they choose. Presumably, schools could then sell their crests to families, which they could then stitch on.

However, I can’t really understand why we need uniforms at all in primary schools. It’s a discussion that I’ve had with many people over the years and no one has ever given me a satisfactory explanation. I’ll go through some of the reasons I’ve been given.

[highlight]1. It stops bullying[/highlight]

This seems to be the main reason I’m given. The problem with this argument is twofold. For this to be true, any school that wears a uniform should have no problems with bullying. However, only a couple of months ago, the government brought in new anti-bullying policies countrywide, which says to me that bullying must exist in schools. I also worked in schools where uniforms were worn and bullying was an issue. Children will bully other children for any reason and it’s generally little to do with what they wear, it’s generally for a whole host of other reasons. Also, I wonder do children start bullying other children on the streets after school when they change out of their uniforms? Anyway, by logic, schools that don’t wear a uniform should have terrible problems with clothing-related bullying. I’ve worked for 8 years in uniform-less schools, and I have not heard of one child in either school having hassle by what they wear. Children are educated to accept difference and they do.

[highlight]2. It promotes equality[/highlight]

This reason really annoys me. I think the National Youth Council of Ireland’s Intercultural Site sums things up well in defining equality.

[quote cite=”National Youth Council of Ireland” url=”http://www.intercultural.ie/”]Equality is not always about treating everyone the same – it is about treating people in such a way that the outcome for each person can be the same. This means putting things in place to support people to achieve similar outcomes.[/quote]

Everyone wearing the same clothes to school is not equality. By forcing people to wear the same clothes, you are possibly undermining a child’s needs, beliefs, comfort, happiness, etc. Why should a child be forced to wear a set of uncomfortable clothes everyday if they don’t want to? On the flip-side, if someone wants to wear the same clothes everyday, we shouldn’t stop that either. Equality should mean that everyone in a school should have the same supports to feel happy and safe in school. Wearing the same clothes as their peers doesn’t do that in all cases.

[highlight]3. Health and Safety[/highlight]

This was a new one for me. Apparently, school uniforms are a health and safety issue. I think I can probably go back to my same argument as the one on bullying. The only possible health and safety issue I can think about is that wearing a uniform makes a child’s school instantly identifiable so if a child is behaving badly or is in danger, wearing a uniform can help. To be honest, while this argument seems to have some traction, I don’t believe it merits wearing a uniform. Good supervision will generally negate the majority of problems and in the event of the tragedy of a child being abducted, a uniform is unlikely to save them. I think the health and safety argument is a little weak and is only slightly short of a suggestion to microchip young people.

[highlight]4. It’s handy for parents[/highlight]

I’m more of a fan of what’s handy for children rather than their parents but perhaps I’m being harsh. I can understand that parents have it difficult and one less decision in the mornings is likely to be welcomed. However, I think that parents should be given a choice either way. Parents can decide to make their children wear “school clothes” or whatever suits them. Could a parent decide that a particular set of clothes becomes a uniform for their child? I can’t see why not.

[highlight]5. Uniforms are necessary in the real world[/highlight]

It’s been put to me that I wear a uniform to school. I always wear a jacket, shirt and trousers. Effectively, this is a uniform. I think the argument is that I wear appropriate clothing for my job, therefore this is what we are getting children to do as their job is school. A uniform reminds them that they are in the job of being at school. The problem with this is that while I do wear a jacket, shirt and trousers, I don’t wear the same ones everyday. I get to choose the colours, the fit, the material, etc. Sometimes I don’t wear a shirt and wear a jumper instead. Essentially, I am not forced to wear these clothes. I choose to do so. However, I am conscious that I dress appropriately for my job. It would be inappropriate for me to wear a tracksuit in my job so I don’t. I don’t think it is inappropriate for children to wear a tracksuit to school. However, there are some clothes that are inappropriate so we discourage these. For example, large hooped earrings can be ripped out of ears so we don’t recommend these. Similarly wearing high heels is not a good idea for anyone wanting to run around a playground! In conclusion, one should wear clothes that are appropriate to what you are doing. Uniforms do not make a child learn better.

As with many things in life, the TV show, The Simpsons sums up most things. In one episode, the elementary school introduces mandatory uniforms for the children. After a while, the superintendent (our version of the cigire) says to the principal:

Well, I’ve got to hand it to you, Seymour: these drab student coverings have created the perfect distraction-free environment, thus preparing the children for permanent positions in tomorrow’s mills and processing facilities.

Last time I checked, we’d left the industrial age and we were trying to embrace 21st century ideals of creativity and collaboration. So, should we cut the cost of school uniforms or should we cut them altogether?