Why Uniforms Should Not Be Compulsory for Teenage Students

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