The use of school uniforms used to be restricted to private “Catholic” schools. It is only in recent years that the issue of students wearing school uniform in public schools has come up as a concern. I strongly believe that school uniforms have a positive impact on academic performance. But, what do people really think of school uniforms? Some people think that school uniforms prevent a student’s ability to express themselves. Many people would argue that school uniforms have no impact on school performance or attendance but that assumption is far from the truth.

Without uniforms kids can wear whatever they want, which is all good but there is a lot of judgement. A lot of kids will criticise others because of what they are wearing. For example, girls whose skirts are cut lower have a higher chance of getting bullied or judged than girls who wear short skirts since it is more fashionable. But with uniforms all of this is taken away, because everyone will be wearing the same thing. I know that your first question will be: “But, where is the individuality?” But it can still be there. Kids need individuality. Uniforms just give them a larger margin for it. Of course a lot of you will say it in fact that gives them a SHORTER margin. But again, that’s wrong. By giving them uniforms, that gives them opportunities to express themselves and their individuality in other ways: boys who fold their collars or roll their sleeves up differently or who tuck their shirts in or leave them out. There is a lot of factors to keep in mind.

Furthermore, kids don’t need to wear whatever they want to express themselves or to be different. There are other ways, this could be evident through the quality of their coursework, attitude, drawings or writings. Moreover, school uniforms improve attendance because students don’t have to worry about what to wear or the bullying that comes along with wearing cloths that are not “cool” or popular. This in turn improves academic performance because students are able to go to school and study in a environment free of teasing or bulling. Uniforms are also a way of ensuring school safety because students are not able to carry weapons in the school uniforms like they could do in over sized cloths.

On the other hand, you might say or think that this is teaching them conformity (that everyone has to be the same), but is it really? No, it’s not. It’s teaching them respect and to a certain degree discipline, because when students obey the rules that comes with the wearing of uniforms, the discipline achieved helps them in future aims. Kids who wear whatever they want tend to think that they can get away with more because their teachers or school staff aren’t as strict. However, by making them wear uniforms and enforcing it you are showing them that that’s not the case. Additionally, by wearing a uniform you are given respect for being part of a reputable school. Also, school uniforms promote unity among students because of the sense of pride that comes along with it.

On the other hand, you might think that school uniforms shouldn’t be established because it is a financially difficult responsibility for poor families, but the situation is actually the opposite. School uniforms are less expensive than clothes and can be used throughout the year. For example, if you buy five pairs of jeans and five pairs of T-shirts for your son or daughter, that will not be enough for him to use them through the year because his outfits will become repetitious and he will be a target for teasing or bullying for other students. To prevent that though, the family will keep buying clothes on top of the ones he already has. However, this would not happen if those five pair of clothes were school uniforms in the first place, because this way students can wear the same pair of uniforms throughout the year without being noticed by their schoolmates and this actually saves families some money.

Finally,  Long Beach California enforced school uniforms in 1995, and some of the results are the followings; there was approximately a 90% drop in school suspensions, sex offenses were reduced by 96% and incidents of vandalism went down by 69%. The overall crime rate by students dropped by 91%. Having stated this,  it is clear that school uniforms, if enforced, have a positive impact on our education system and make schools better.

So, can you see why uniforms are the best course of actions now?