Although pros and cons of public schools implementing uniforms are contentious, their benefits outweigh their drawbacks as when students wear similar clothes, disparities among them are minimized, and they effectively focus on learning. In the US, school uniforms have increasingly been adopted by learning institutions countrywide (Baumann and Krskova 1010).
However, some schools disagree with the need for learners to wear uniforms and, in their place, choose to encourage a dress code while others allow students to dress in clothes of their choice provided that they look decent. Arguments in support of school uniforms affirm that they generate a favorable learning environment, symbolize discipline, and instill pride regarding the institution while people in their disfavor believe that they interfere with learners’ creativity and comfort hence they should not be implemented.
There are numerous challenges that learning institutions experience in modern times. Some of the problems include violence, learners’ constant worry about failure to fit in a given group, and loss of focus on learning, the principal objective of being in school. When many learners concentrate on what they should wear the next day instead of their studies and assigned homework, the quality of education will be negatively affected.
Peer pressure, monetary struggle, fear of not being as expensively dressed as others in the school, and daily fashion fights are some of the factors that affect the overall concentration that students have on learning. Not only do learners worry about fitting in, but also do parents feel concerned about their children. Eradication of the need to keep purchasing new fashions each season for learners will act as a monetary relief and a solution to psychological disturbances (Baumann and Krskova 1016).
If all students wear similar clothes, there is a high likelihood of reducing stealing because uniform clothing and accessories would not be as envious as when there is no standardization. In countries that value freedom of expression, the actual liberty to learn might be established in the implementation of school uniforms. Uniforms assist in dealing with most of the problems experienced by learning institutions and students thus should be implemented by all public schools.
Public learning institutions should not implement school uniforms since clothing does not generally interrupt learning. Therefore, all students should be given the freedom to select their outfits. Learners only use clothes as a means of self-expression and an element of their identity. Despite school uniforms being effective in some way, compelling all the students to wear them has a negative influence on academic performance as learners will feel unsupported in their choices (Edwards and Marshall 12).
The implementation of school uniforms in public schools is not helpful to students’ educational achievements and only seeks to withhold learners’ opportunity to become creative, which would start with their choice of outfits. However, pros outshine cons since without school uniforms, students do not feel like part of a team. Additionally, learners from less fortunate families feel inferior as they cannot afford to dress as expensively as their counterparts from rich families. Over and above enlarging such disparities, lack of school uniforms interferes with effective learning as students will take much of their time thinking about what to wear.
Arguments for the implementation of school uniforms affirm that they generate a positive learning environment while the ones in disfavor believe that they restrict learners’ creativity. Though pros and cons of schools implementing uniforms are debatable, their advantages overshadow their shortcomings. Uniforms help in addressing most of the problems experienced in school thus should be implemented by every public school.
Works Cited
Baumann, Chris, and Hana Krskova. “School Discipline, School Uniforms and Academic Performance.” International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 30, no. 6, 2016, pp. 1003-1029.
Edwards, Torrie, and Catherine Marshall. “Undressing Policy: A Critical Analysis of North Carolina (USA) Public School Dress Codes.” Gender and Education, vol. 1, no. 1, 2018, pp. 1-19.