In the early hours of the morning, students of Lycée de Kigali are seen moving with haste, trying to make it to school on time and evade the dreaded “late comers” list. At this very time, many other people are also in a hurry, worried about being late for work. It is such a busy time that traffic officers are seen stopping cars to help students cross roads safely and make it to school on time. However, note that these officers, or anyone else on duty, only recognise these students because of what they are wearing — their uniform — not their age or size. I remember a head teacher’s mantra back in high school — uniform is your safety and your first ID as long as one is a student — and we all subscribed to it, making effort to look smart. It’s sad that many students look at uniform as ‘attire for prisoners’, however, my former classmate George Okot will live to talk about the essence of a school uniform. Now a Catholic missionary priest working in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Okot had a tendency of taking off his uniform every time we got to the taxi park that had buses that took us to our distant communities. However, one fateful day, we run into a serious ‘walk to work’ protest right in the middle of the city, and Police was after anyone who looked idle. I saw Okot grabbed and thrown onto the police van. It took three days for his parents to trace his whereabouts. Nations have flags, even armies have dress codes that distinguish them from civilians, so why not students? Uniform comes from the word “uniformity”. Whereas the open attire concept permits students to project individuality, uniform is different and instead encourages students to behave accordingly. A uniform is a channel of safety and discipline. A uniform could do away with improper activity, especially on school premises. Uniform also allows school administrators and safety officers to recognise outsiders. With uniform, there is reduced chance of bullying or peer pressure (because of the need to ‘keep up appearances’), which in the long run boosts concentration and academic success. According to a 2005 study, researchers found that an Ohio school that implemented a uniform policy saw an increase in attendance as well as in the total number of graduates for the 2005 school year. The survey indicated few cases of students’ suspension due to breaking the uniform regulation or adhering to strict school dress codes. The perception was that that when students are wearing the same uniform, there is no unnecessary competition, hence, fewer distractions in the classroom. School uniform is also time-saving as it requires little time getting ready for school. I have, many times, found my siblings, especially the ones in college, spending hours and hours contemplating what to wear, trying on outfit after outfit and wasting a lot of valuable time. The writer is a PhD student at Beijing Normal University pontiankbr@outlook.com
