SCHOOL UNIFORM: NECESSARY OR NOT?
In
Turkish Education System, there have been a lot of changes throughout its
history from 1924 to today, 2014. These
changes can range from laws regulating the concept ”education” in general to
teacher appointment, schooling, school material and so on. Education, according
to universal acceptance, is knowing how to reach what one needs to know. In
Turkey, authorities have always been in research of redefining this description and comprehending it properly. While
doing so, they have also shaped the profile of a student in terms of how to
wear at school. This is legalized by Turkish Grand National Assembly, which
commands that every student should what The Education Ministry wants. As stated
in the Ministry’s Regulations Booklet, under the headline “Regulations about
clothes of students of schools connected to National Education Ministry (p.1,
2012), students can not wear any political emblem, carry any racist,
discriminating object etc. Therefore, school uniform is much more useful when
compared to other options (e.g. free wearing) thanks to its being applicable
and acceptable.
First of all, standardizing a school
uniform contributes to both family’s budget and society’s point of money. In
Turkey, which is regarded as developing country no matter how its institutions
and statesmen say that we are among the most developed 20 countries all around
the world, it is clear that there is a huge income inequality among people. While
one can earn around 15,000 TL per month, some other people are forced to work
under bad conditions and paid just 800 or 900 TL. Here happens to be an
interesting data. In our country, Turkey, hunger limit is determined to be
1,169 TL (according to, March calculations). This inequality can be observed in
many areas and also in education system. To lessen this huge gap to some
extent, a standard school uniform is accepted. Families with lower income than
this hunger limit and those with much more income than hunger limit are obliged
to make their children wear the same in state schools to be able to go to them.
This unity of wearing enables families to profit more both economically and psychologically.
They do not have to buy new clothes ( like different colours or kinds of
jacket, pants or shirts.). There is a common uniform that every student,
regardless of his/her family income or socioeconomic status, has to wear. In
addition, students can manage to diminish the totally wrong acceptance that
rich students become friends with the rich or vice versa. This misconception
can be destroyed, to some extent, by means of this standardized clothing. Much
as there appears to be a difference between children of rich and poor, at least
with this application, we can decrease this distinction more or less. Another
aspect of economic income difference among families is that those students who
don’t have the chance or fate to be children of rich families, after some time,
would begin to question themselves excessively and conclude that why do I have
to wear always those clothes while my friends can wear different, colourful
clothes every day if it weren’t for school uniform. Thinking, after a time,
would affect these students’ success and cause them to feel depressed, annoyed,
alienated or shy. Upon seeing their friends wear various clothes, these
students would be in the opinion that we aren’t as important in the eyes of our
teacher and society as these rich students with colourful dress. As an indirect
result of that, we would probably lose those citizens at a very early age. To
prevent such a likely chaos, school uniform should be necessary. Not every
family will be able to afford such a thing and school uniform is more suitable
for families economically.
Secondly, in order to be sure that education
is done perfectly, there needs to be a proper environment. A proper environment
calls for some features like peace, silence, and of course security. By means
of school uniform, safety of school increases much more, as well. A certain
student of any school wears certain school uniforms and carries a symbol,
emblem of that school ( e.g. a badge on his/her jacket, tie or vest). If it did
not occur so, some people who weren’t students would maybe want to enter the
school garden to damage the students. This would decrease the quality of
education and break down the education atmosphere. Schools’ security is
provided with determining the students’ appearance. When school uniform is
abolished, the safety of school will decrease and so will the quality of
education. Apart from school safety, thanks to school uniforms, safety of
school buses ( okul servisi) is secured, too. School bus is a vehicle that is
responsible for transportation of students and these vehicles are to have only
certain students who are differentiated from their peers by their school
uniform. This generally happens is big cities, like Istanbul, Ankara rather
than small ones or villages. Security, in the general view, is a big job to
achieve in Turkey and without school uniform, it would be more difficult to be
sure that a school is safe enough for every family so send their children to
these places with ease.
Thirdly, school uniform is important for
teaching the students from early years that discipline is an significant term
that needs gaining as very soon as possible. At approximately ages of 6 or 7,
students are urged to wear a standard uniform, which indicates that school
uniform is an indicator of discipline. Teachers are responsible for reining and
regulating students’ clothing. Being disciplinary and knowing how important it
is in one’s life from cradle to grave will fulfil students’ competence. In
addition, in state bureaucracy, discipline and order are the 2 necessarily
attributes without which one could not make his/her voice be heard. As George
Washington, who was the first President of United States (1789-1797), the
Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary
War, and one the Founding Fathers of the United States( from Wikipedia),
defines the purpose of education: “ A primary object should be the education of
our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of
knowledge can be equally important. And what duty[is] more pressing than communicating
it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the
country?”( Quotes about Education, page 3,para.12,www.goodreads.com). We can
conclude and notice from what G. Washington says that disciplinary youth and
new generation is our first desire from education. In the same way, school
uniform is a mainstream meronymy of teaching discipline to the youth throughout
education process.
As for the criticism against school
uniform, some can argue that school uniform narrows students’ horizon and
dictates them how to wear and act. Moreover, there can be those who claim that
school uniform creates frightened, thoughtless, dogmatic, unquestioning people.
However, this can not be said that one person can totally agree with them.
School uniform is just related to a person’s physical appearance. School
uniform, rather than making children insensitive and stagnant, teaches them to
be social more bravely. Students can try to be friends with all their friends
regardless of socioeconomic status, which is enabled by mostly school uniform.
School uniform does not and should not limit students’ point of view. They can
question everything and also school uniform itself without being under any
pressure. Anyway, they are sure to come to the conclusion that there should be
a standard clothing ( that is, school uniform). Another benefit is that school
uniform gives students to be equal and respectful. School uniform lessens at
least this gap partly.
All in all, school uniform is an inevitable
one for education as yet, and it is like speed for cheetah. It should be
applied to increase education’s quality. After all, we can learn about another
definition of education from Iris Murdoch, an Irish-born British author and
philosopher. She says that “education does not make you happy, nor does
freedom. We don’t become happy just because we’re free, if we are. Or because
we’ve been educated, if we have. But because education may be the means by
which we realize we are happy. It opens our eyes, our ears, tells us where
delights are lurking, convinces us that there is only one freedom of any
importance whatsoever, that of the mind and gives us the assurance, the
confidence to walk the path our mind.”. That is to say, should freedom mean
that one is educated, then there can be no one more educated than animals.
REFERENCES
