Every government
school in Indonesia requires the students to wear the same uniform, all across
the country. The only things that may differ, such as school badges and ties,
are only used to identify each school from the other. Likewise, most private
schools have adopted this regulation as well, despite the fact that each school
has a different uniform. It is undeniable that the obligation to don a uniform
has its own superiorities and drawbacks. Pertaining to this issue, I disagree
to a large extent with the fact that students, especially teenagers, are
compelled to wear uniforms to school.
Firstly, not all
students are blessed with the privilege of being able to afford a set of
uniform. To add to that, most schools I know have different uniforms for different
days of the week. Keep in mind that the obligatory physical education attire
has not been kept into account. Not to mention the accessories that goes with
it, such as a tie, a belt, a pair of socks, shoes, and the like. Furthermore,
it is no secret that there are a lot of underprivileged students in Indonesia
who are actually competent enough to be admitted in top schools. However, these
schools often set a high fee to compensate for the education they provide. Adding
it all up with the price of the dreaded uniform and the much needed books would
cost a copious amount of money.
Next, viewing
this issue from the standpoint of fashion, any sort of uniform will never be
able to suit every body type. This would not be such a big deal in my current
school since the body type variety is not very diverse. But what about schools
which tend to students with various races? Personally, I have had this problem
before. My school uniform was a sleeveless pinafore with a useless belt around
the waist and an insignificant-by-size badge on the shoulder. I guess it was
designed for Chinese girls with petite figures, because all my other friends
look good in it. And then there was me: relatively short, full-bodied,
flabby-armed me. Other girls would look like pretty little nurses in that
uniform. As for me… I looked like I was wrapped up in blue duct tape. Regardless
of this being a personal reason, indubitably I am not the only one who faces this
predicament. A lot of students have their uniforms altered to suit their bodies
better, thus ruining the essence of uniformity itself. Therefore, I think
students must be allowed to wear anything that compliments their shape.
Last but not
least, I believe teenage students should not be subjected to conformity. Young
people should be allowed to explore their personality as they like. Often,
personalities are shown by the way people dress. A girl who is struck by the
so-called Korean wave should be allowed to wear what Korean girls wear. A metal-head
should be allowed to grow their hair out and wear studded garments. This is
largely connected with self expression, which in turn will affect how teenagers
turn out to be in their adult years. Self acceptance and expression must be
sculpted as early as possible, and adolescence seems like an ideal time to
start.
Wrapping it all
up, a uniform should not be compulsory for teenage students because it is not
completely affordable, not suitable for everyone in a fashion-related point of
view, and is a manner of forcing conformity to youngsters who in fact need more
space for self expression. Nevertheless, a change of a school regulation which
has been a tradition for tens of years has to be done delicately. For example,
letting students wear any color of shoes would be an excellent start. Gradually,
we can move onwards to let freedom of expression flourish for greater things to
come.
By Kartika Darina/ SMAN 3 Malang XI Science 6
