The best part of leaving school life was getting rid of the ridiculous uniform. Waking up and getting into that lame color and silhouettes was the part of school life that I don’t want to remember, ever. This idea of “school uniform” was first introduced in 16th century England and the Christ Hospital school, London was the first to introduce this system in 1552. So, this is like an age-old torture device. Many people still debate on whether school outfit should be mandatory or not. Parents from different countries claim that it’s an added expense for the not so economically sounds families. On the other hand, some people claim that school uniform dissolves differences and creates a sense of unity amongst the students. Many countries have school uniform as a mandate. Also, there are institutions that ridicule this practice. Let’s see the 15 countries that have a typical school uniform.
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1. United Kingdom
UK’s first uniforms were blue in color as the dye came cheap. Now, the uniforms vary school to school. Also, there was a no-shorts policy for the boys. During 2017 summer to protest this, boys came in skirts and the policy was overruled.
2. Japan
Japan’s school uniforms are quite famous as they appear in manga and animes. The uniforms worn by girls are known as Seifuku. It’s mandatory to wear knee-high socks and those are held in place using ‘sock-glue’.
3. Australia
Though it’s quite similar to the UK’s uniforms because of the hot weather, the colors are light and the silhouettes are flowy.
4. Cuba
All countries have different rules when it comes to their school uniforms. In Cuba, students are supposed to wear uniforms according to their level of education. So, it’s different for kindergarten, primary and secondary.
5. Indonesia
Like Cuba, even Indonesia has different uniforms for different levels. The white shirt is mandatory for everyone and it’s the color of the trousers that determine your level of education.
6. China
The schools in China requires five sets of uniforms. 2 formals and 3 for daily use. The normal uniforms are gender neutral.
7. Ghana
Mandatory uniforms can be a menace for the poverty-stricken countries. As people in Ghana have low incomes, they can’t afford uniforms. Hence, their children can’t go to school as each and every student requires to wear a common outfit.
8. Vietnam
Here the outfits are really simple. White shirt with navy blue trousers. Girls in high school can also wear their traditional outfit that consists of a tunic worn over a trouser.
9. Syria
The early Syrian ensembles were military styles khaki. However, the colors at present have been changed to pink, light blue and grey to show peace.
10. Bhutan
Here the students were their national costume in schools. I think countries with a rigid system can use this idea.
11. South Korea
The outfits here are heavily influenced by western culture. The outfits are mandatory for higher education.
12. Sri Lanka
This is one of the countries with a mandatory school outfit system. Girls are required to wear a tie here.
13. Russia
Students in some countries are really unlucky. Here, the outfits weren’t necessary from 1994 to 2013. Can you imagine the plight of students who enrolled after 2013?
14. North Korea
Politics and education go hand in hand in this country. Every student needs to wear a red scarf to show their support for the North Korean political party.
15. India
This is one of the countries where outfits are an absolute necessity. Be it private or a public institute, uniforms are mandatory. Girls generally wear skirts or knee-length tunics and boys wear trousers or shorts. In some schools, there are separate outfits for winter and summer.
For some countries, instead of making uniforms a mandate, it should be education.