Importance of uniform for students

In Bangladesh usually school and college students are bound to wear uniform because of code of conduct of the school or college. Uniform has lot of importance though it is not always realised by the students.
Uniform can play a vital role among students.  It can create a sense of community, equality and unity among students. It also maintains discipline among students and reduces discrimination among students (Reddy, 2011). Educational institutions should not have any barrier by which students are segmented.  So it is very important to create a sense of commonality and unity among students.  As the U.S. Department of Education's Manual on School Uniforms notes, "Uniforms by themselves cannot solve all of the problems of school discipline, but they can be one positive contributing factor to discipline and safety." (n.p.). Though uniform has a great importance but it cannot be said that education won't be effective without uniform. But the problem is that choice of dress of students' does not match with that of parents. Students are always concerned on being stylish and sometime they take a gang leader's dress as a benchmark or uniform. This dress up may lead them to do criminal activity. So uniform can keep away students from this intention (Barbarosh, 1995). Uniform also makes students more self-confident and self-disciplined. So they become more concerned about their studies. In the USA one research showed that criminal activities of students are decreased by 86%  after imposing uniform in schools in 1994 (Marchant, 1995).
Uniform has lot of impact on a student. Uniform can impact on a student's behaviour pattern, achievement level and attitude. Uniform helps students to be disciplined and serious in their daily life which will help them in their professional life. A research showed that uniform helps a student to build his/her non-cognitive skills such as self-esteem and discipline which will help him/her to social and employment activity (Gentile & Scott, 2010). In twenty-first century world became more competitive and first, so a student also should struggle to keep peace with the competitive world. Uniform saves time of dressing. If students can realise the value of time then they must support uniform. Uniform also has a link with the attendance of a student. In a research it is proved that attendance of students increased after uniform was imposed. Students without uniform look like common people, so they can go anywhere instead of joining school but if they have proper uniform then they feel hesitant to go outside instead of attending class. This ensures the moral safety of parents (Gentile & Scott, 2010). If students wear uniform then it will reduce their parental costs. Buying costly dress puts a negative impact on the parent's perception about the institution. Students are often competing with their fellows for dress up. This sometimes creates a psychological pressure on the minds of the students belonging to middle class family. In an educational institution students are coming from different background and different socio economic level, so all of them are not able to afford costly dress all the time. Sometimes those students feel unprivileged in their own institutions (Firmin, Smith & Perry, 2006).
Besides parents, many students also expressed the importance of uniform in survey. A journal stated that 85 percent of the total survey population expressed the need of the dress code in their schools. Most of them said that dress code may improve their behaviour, reduce peer sexual harassment, improve academic result and prepare students for their tasks. Though high school's code of conduct have greatest support for dress code but middle school level put the strongest support (DeMitchell, Fossey& Cobb, 2000).
In 1990s private schools in the USA adopted uniform policy for their students but public schools were not taking this policy. Students were not willing to wear uniform in their school or college. A research on John Adams and Truman Middle Schools in Albuquerque found that 75 percent of parents, 89% of staff and only 15% students supported the uniform policy but 59 percent of student agreed that uniform helped to create institutional identity trespasser on campus. But after the research they implemented the uniform policy for their students and after a year they found a huge improvement among their students' performance (Elder, 1999). Some research said that uniform may help a student to save time. A programme of Union Pacific Foundation found the pros and cons of uniform in school. One of the pros is students spend less on clothing because fewer wardrobe items are needed for school (AUPF, n.d.). Uniforms save time for parents and families throughout the school-year given lack of need to shop with changing fashions and seasons (e.g. fall, winter, & spring) (RJM Customer Interviews, 2009).
References:
Barbarosh, A.M. (1995). Undressing the First Amendment in Public Schools: Do Uniform Dress Codes Violate Students' First Amendment Rights, Loyola of Los Angeles Law Reviews. 28 (1995): 1415-51.
DeMitchell,T. A. &, Fossey, R., & Cobb, C. (2000). Dress Codes in the Public Schools: Principals, Policies, and Precepts. Journal of Law and Education 29:1, 31-49.
Elder, D. L. (1999). Evaluation of school uniform policy at John Adams and Truman Middle School for Albuquerque Public Schools: Educational Resources Information Center. (ERIC Document No. 453 580)
Firmin, M., Smith, S., & Perry, L.(2006) School Uniforms: A Qualitative Analysis of Aims and Accomplishments at Two Christian Schools. Journal of Research on Christian Education.Vol 15, No. 2.pp 143-168.
Gentile, E & Scott, A. (2010, January). Dressed for Success? The Effect of School Uniforms on Student Achievement and Behavior, pp. 1-5, 12-23
Harris, R.W. (2012). Roosevelt UFSD dress code guidelines 2012-13, District code of Conduct, Retrieved from: http://www.rooseveltufsd.com
Marchant, V. (1995, September 5). Dress for Success. Time Magazine, Retrieved from: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,30497,00.html
Reddy, S. (2011, June 13). Dress code are a must for all colleges. The Times of India.Retrieved from: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-13/hubli/29652547_1_dress-code-college-authorities-degree-colleges
The Principal's Partnership, School Uniform, A program of union pacific foundation, Retrieved from: http://www.principalspartnership.com
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