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School uniforms are common in elementary
and secondary
schools in many nations.
The European country that has
the most widespread use of school uniforms is
Britain. The practice of prescribing
clothing has spread from there to many formerly British
territories (including
Ireland,
Australia,
Singapore,
Hong Kong,
New Zealand and
South Africa).
Japan is another industrialised country where school
uniforms are nearly universal. In most of continental Europe
and
Scandinavia, school uniforms are however not common.
Russia abolished school uniforms in its public school
system after the replacement of
communist party government in the early 1990s.
Cuba still dresses its children in the "pioneer"
uniform.
In North America, i.e. the
United States and
Canada, school uniforms are generally not used in public
(e.g.
state-sponsored) schools. However, independent schools
often have school uniforms. In the 1990s, there was a trend
toward (re-)introducing uniforms in American public schools,
and especially so in low-income areas. This was at first
motivated by a need to counter "gang
clothing", but has later also been seen as a way of
improving
morale and
discipline. Those arguments are controversial among many
parents, and that fad seems to have peaked. The American
kids who are most likely to wear a school uniform today are
either very poor or very rich.
Proponents of uniforms argue:
- they reduce cliques (or
gangs) and peer-envy based on clothes
- they allow the student to focus on schoolwork rather
than on socialising
- they add a
professional air to the school environment, resulting
in better
morale
- parents don't have to spend on vogueish
brand attire. They can buy several pieces of the same
clothing and rotate them. They can even be later
transferred to younger siblings.
Common arguments against school uniforms are:
- they violate the students' right to
self-expression
- they are costly (this may or may not be true)
- "one-size-fits-all" style does not suit all students'
body shapes
- they do not actually result in any scholastic
improvement
- many uniforms are not gender neutral, which may lead
to
exploitation or
discrimination
- (specific to present-day United States) use of
public-school uniforms implies a failing school system and
could even reduce property values.
Traditionally, school uniforms have been subdued and
professional. Boys' uniforms often consist of dark
pants and
dress shirt, plus a
jacket in cold weather. A girl's might consist of a
skirt or
kilt and
blouse. The gender-specific uniforms have been another
point of
contention, and some schools permit female students to
choose either skirt or
trousers. The use of a
blazer or suit-like jacket has come into favor in some
areas. Some school uniforms proposed in US public schools
have discarded the formal style and have opted for bright
shirt and
khaki pants, or shorts in the summer.
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