The Influence of School Uniforms on Culture and Identity

There are many opinions and attitudes regarding the topic of school uniforms.  Many people support the idea that students should wear uniforms to school. However many others disagree and don’t understand why it is obligatory that all students wear a uniform in almost all Australian schools, particularly Private and Catholic schools.

It can be argued that the wearing of school uniform is imperative as it reflects the schools discipline standards. But more importantly I believe school uniforms, to some extent, may also help to deal with the differences between the various cultures that may exist in a school environment.  They can reduce bullying due to cultural dress differences since everyone is dressed the same and further helps to alleviate feelings of a lack of belonging.  Macy Vallance, a year-eight student says "I like uniforms because everyone is the same and no one can be left out by the way they are dressed” further emphasizing how uniforms can create a sense of conformity and feelings of ‘fitting in’. Jason Wing, the head teacher at the Neale-Wade academy in Cambridgeshire states, "Uniforms show that you are part of an organisation. Wearing it says we're all in this together”. Claire Howlette, an English teacher agrees with this and also prides uniforms on their ability to assist in creating a sense of identity for the school, "Uniforms give students a sense of belonging to a particular school and create an identity for the school in the community."

However, although I agree that uniforms can help create and shape a schools identity as a whole, it can also be argued that the wearing of school uniforms can lead to the loss of the students individual identity. Being required to dress in the same uniform as every other student in the school, for an average of 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, students lack the opportunity to express their personality as well cultural dress codes in their clothing, forcing them to become clones of one another, and ultimately destroying their individuality and therefore diversity in the school.

School uniforms may also be an issue when it comes to different cultural values and beliefs. They should reflect the cultural principles of different ethnic communities. Prohibiting students from dressing in a way that is typical of their culture, race or nationality could be viewed as discrimination.  “Flexibility must be used where implementation of the school uniform affects some students unequally; for example, where an aspect of the school uniform offends an ethno religious belief held by students or parents. Other examples could include the disability or age of an individual student which requires a departure from an aspect of the school uniform.” (School Uniforms in NSW Government Schools Handbook).

Furthermore, Ho (2011) states, “officially, nurturing respect for cultural diversity is a key goal of the Australian education system”. However school uniforms can be seen as a shift from a “micropublic” where the many cultures that exist in the school are represented, into a “microculture” where only the schools culture is represented.

References

· Spencer, C. (October 3, 2013). What’s the point of school uniform? The Guardian: Australian Edition. Retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2013/oct/03/why-wear-school-uniform.

· Ho, C. (2011). Respecting the presence of others: School micropublics and everyday multiculturalism. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 32(6), 603-619.

· http://www.docin.com/p-666019410.html