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School uniforms are common in primary and secondary schools in many nations. They are the most widely known form of student uniform; other types of which include uniforms worn by students participating in higher vocational training, such as in health occupations.
Traditionally, school uniforms have been subdued and professional. Boys' uniforms often consist of dark trousers and light-colored shirt, tie. Girls' uniforms vary greatly between countries and schooling systems, but typically consist of a dress or a blouse worn either with a skirt, culottes or under a pinafore. Gender-specific uniforms have been a point of contention, with some schools permitting female students to choose either skirts or trousers while still requiring male students to wear trousers. The use of a blazer or suit-like jacket for either gender is also fairly common, especially in cold weather.
In continental Europe, they have not been required in public (state-sponsored) schools. Private schools, though, often have a school uniform or a strict dress code.[citation needed] This is different in the United Kingdom and Ireland, however, where the majority of state secondary schools adopt a uniform for a more formal look.[1]
School uniforms in Australia have traditionally followed the model of their British counterparts.[2][3] Most private and government schools, in all Australian states, have a compulsory uniform policy, though the degree of enforcement varies. For boys, the uniforms generally include trousers, shorts, jumpers and a button-up shirt and/or polo shirt. Girls' uniforms generally include skirts, culottes, dresses, jumpers, blouses and/or poloshirts and sometimes also trousers and shorts. At Private schools, uniforms for either gender often include a blazer, tie and hat. A different uniform specifically for sports is usually worn for physical education activities. These can include skin tight leggings, shorts, tennis skirts/netball skirts. Some schools require special shoes to be worn. The uniform displayed in the left picture is from a public school.
Government schools, especially primary schools, in Australia tend to be more flexible with the way the school uniforms are worn. In stark contrast, most private schools are strict when regarding presentation of the school uniform.
In recent times Year 12 students at Australian schools have been allowed to wear special jumpers (Leavers Jumpers) or printed tops to denote their final year status. In some schools this has taken the form of a different coloured jumper (sometimes white or cream), a special commemorative year 12 top (eg a rugby top) with the last two digits of the year and a name or nickname displayed, other tops are printed with the names of all students in that year level.)[4] Some schools also have different ties or blazers for senior years.
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Most public schools in Canada do not require that students wear uniforms, but most include rules against indecent or offensive clothing. Many regions of Canada have publicly-funded Catholic schools, and many of those schools have uniforms. Prior to the integration of Newfoundland's public (government-funded) school system in the late 1990s, those public schools administered by the Catholic Church mandated strict, uniform-like dress codes (shirts and ties for boys, dresses or skirts for girls) at the elementary and junior high school levels, lifting most restrictions for high school students. In recent years, some schools have eliminated skirts and kilts, in favour of dress pants for girls, or replaced skirts with the culottes or a garment called a skort which is a skirt that has an attached short on the inside for modesty. Also, bike shorts are sometimes worn under skirts. The tops are either dress shirts or golf shirts, and either sweaters or sweatshirts are worn. Grey or khaki dress pants are worn by both boys and girls.
There are also some schools in eastern Canada that have converted to being Academies as opposed to standard secondary schools. These facilities usually require a uniform, most often a white shirt over a grey or dark patterned skirt or pants.
A few private schools also require students to wear formal British-style school uniforms (blazers and ties).
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School uniforms have no strong tradition in Germany and are virtually unknown today.
From the 16th century, students (especially of secondary or grammar schools and similar institutions) were often subject to regulations that prescribed, for example, modest and not too stylish attire. In many cases these regulations were part of wider laws concerning the clothing of all citizens of certain social classes. A blue coat became a widespread, obligatory status symbol of students of secondary schools; it fell out of use during the latter half of the 18th century. In newer times, school uniforms in any real sense did not exist outside of convent schools and private boarding schools. At times, certain fashions became so widespread that they approached uniform status; this is true in particular for so-called student hats (Schülermützen) that became widespread from the 1880s on and remained somewhat popular until they were banned by the Nazis. Their wearing was advocated by teachers and the students themselves and occasionally made mandatory, but never on a national or state-wide level. Another instance are the sailor suits that became fashionable around the turn of the 19th century. These, too, were not usually a prescribed uniform.
The Nazis banned student hats – the last remaining, if voluntary, form of unified student clothing – because they considered them an attribute of class society. They did, however, institute mandatory membership in the uniformed Hitler Youth (HJ) from 1936 on. HJ uniforms were worn in the Adolf Hitler Schools and in the Napolas; students of other schools sometimes wore them to school at their own discretion.
In recent times, the introduction of school uniforms has been discussed, but usually the expression "uniform" (the word is the same in German) is avoided in favour of terms like "school clothing." School clothing has been introduced in a small number of schools, for example in Hamburg-Sinstorf in 2000, and in Friesenheim and Haag (Oberbayern) in 2005. In these cases the clothes are collections of shirts, sweaters, and the like, catering to contemporary fashion senses. Uniforms in a more traditional sense are almost never proposed in earnest.
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008) |
All students have to sew their school badges onto the left hand side of the chest (with the exception of a few school uniform for girls). For boys, primary school and secondary school's uniform are essentially the same. They all have white shirt and black (or gray) pants. The only difference is that most primary schools do not have ties as part of boys' uniform while virtually all secondary schools include ties as part of their uniform.
For girls, there are many varieties of school uniform depending on the schools, season, and sometimes their years of education). For summer, in primary schools, the prevalent girl uniforms are pinafores or white dresses. The white dresses almost always have a belt at the waist line. These belts are either made of cotton or plastic. The most commonly uniform belt colours are white (only for cotton belt), red, yellow, and green. Some schools also require girls to wear a tie in addition to their pinafores and dresses. Secondary school's summer girls uniform have more styles in addition to the primary school styles. Some are in sailor outfit, others are shirts plus skirts, and a few are in cheongsam. These schools use a plain rimmed sky blue short-sleeves cheongsam with the metal school badge right under the stand-up collar to be closed with a metal hook and eye as the official uniform for their female students. There are slight deviation with regards to cheongsam. One secondary school, Pooi To Middle School, decided that Form 1 to 3 students wear white dresses while the upper-years (Form 4 to 7) wear white cotton cheongsam. Others have different colours on their trims such as the neck and the sleeves.
In winter, virtually all primary and secondary schools' girls uniform are pinafores. The exceptions are those schools that chose cheongsam as part of their female uniform. They switch their short-sleeves cheongsam into long-sleeves and all of them are in dark blue.
According to former Education Minister Limor Livnat about 1400 Israeli public schools require pupils to wear uniforms [5]
School uniforms used to be the norm in Israel in the early days of the state's existence, but have since fallen out of favour. However, in recent years, the number of schools using school uniforms has been increasing once more. Many teachers, parents and students all around the country are in favour of returning the school uniform into common use as to prevent the deepening of the gap between children who aren't well-off and children who are. Nowadays school uniforms are mainly associated with schools belonging to the national religious school system, which is separated from secular Jewish schools [6]. Arab Israeli schools also frequently require uniforms: for girls, it's often a pinafore to be worn over trousers and shirt.
Today, school uniforms in Israel consist only of a shirt with the school logo. In the summer, the uniform shirt is a simple T-shirt, while in the winter, the shirts worn are warm or hooded sweaters. Although the shirts are uniform, they usually come in various colours, and allow students to customize and express themselves even while wearing a uniform. The shirts sell for a very small amount of money, so that even those who do not have a lot of money can acquire them.
In Italy, school uniforms are uncommon, partially because child uniforms are associated to the Fascist era, when children were placed according to their age into Fascist youth movements and had to wear uniforms inside and outside schools.
However, until the early Seventies many high schools required girls to wear black grembiule (resembling a doctor smock) on top of their clothes: no uniform was required for boys. Perhaps this was because back in the days high schools were the only public schools to be co-ed (as opposed to junior schools and elementary), and girls may be required to "cover up" not to distract their male counterparts. Indeed this policy was highly disputed during the sexual revolution of the 1960s and later abolished.
Nowadays, many pre-schools advise parents to dress their children with a grembiulino, ie a small grembiule, usually shorter and more colourful, that can be purchased for very cheap.
Some elementary school advise some kind of grembiule for the younger pupils. Sometimes girls are required to wear a pink or white grembiulino, while boys may be required to wear a short cotton jacket, usually blue or black. In other cases both boys and girls may be required to wear a more neutral blue grembiule.
Some parents send their children to school in a grembiule even if the schools does not require it.
Poet and children writer Gianni Rodari used to describe adults' life as "a school without grembiule and school desk" [7]
In 2004 the Italian chapter of WWF warned that synthetic grembiule were harmful to pupils. [8]
In July 2008 Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini proposed the re-introduction of grembiule in publich schools, promting a debate on the Italian press. [9]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008) |
Japan introduced Western-style school uniforms in the late 19th century as a part of its modernization program. Today, school uniforms are an established part of Japanese life. They are almost universal in the public and private school systems with various schools being known for their particular uniforms. They are also used in some women's colleges.
In many areas, elementary school students do not need to wear a uniform to school. Where uniforms are required, many boys wear white shirts, shorts, and caps. The uniform codes may change depending on the season to work with the environment and occasion.
The junior and senior high school uniform traditionally consists of a black military style uniform for boys and a sailor outfit for girls. These uniforms are based on Meiji era formal military dress, which were in turn modelled on European-style naval uniforms. While this style of uniform is still in use, many schools have moved into more western pattern parochial school uniform styles.
Malaysia introduced Western style school uniforms in the late 19th century during British colonial era until post-independence. Today, school uniforms are almost universal in the public and private school systems. The current Malaysian school uniforms are compulsory for all students attending public schools. The uniforms at Malaysian public schools are as follows:[10]
Students are also required to wear white socks and white shoes with the above uniform. For modesty reasons as well, most schools require female students who wear the baju kurung to wear a plain-coloured camisole underneath[11][12][13][14].
In addition to these, schools usually have their own school badges which must be sewn or ironed onto the uniform - generally the left chest. Some schools also require students to sew their name tags in addition to the school badge. For upper forms, students generally have to wear a school specific tie, except those who are wearing the baju kurung.
In Malaysia, Muslim girls tend to wear the baju kurung. Most of them start wearing a white hijab upon entering secondary school, for religious reasons. Non-Muslim girls tend to wear the pinafore. Some non-Muslim girls also wear baju kurung, and some Muslim girls wear the pinafore. This crossover is quite common, and is usually due to the girls wanting more variety in their choice of uniform, level of comfort, or wanting to blend in or stand out with the more commonly worn uniform in their school.
Girls who choose to wear the pinafore, especially those attending co-ed schools, also usually wear shorts under their pinafore to allow for carefree movement as the skirt of the pinafore only covers up to the knee. Those who wear the baju kurung tend not to wear shorts under their long skirt as their long skirt already covers their legs.
Public schools also have their own authority to set special school uniforms for prefects, class monitors, librarians and as such, there are many varieties of them depending on schools.
Neckties are often worn by prefects, class monitors, librarians, and other students of rank. Some schools have neckties as standard issue, but even then, the neckties are generally reserved for school events and public appearances, and are not part of the everyday school uniform.
The hairstyle of students is also given attention by schools and the Ministry of Education[15]. Schools do not allow students to colour their hair. For boys, there is usually a maximum length of hair allowed, for example, the hair must be a few centimetres above the collar, and no sideburns are allowed. The use of hair gel is prohibited in some of the stricter schools, in order to prevent excessive hairdressing. For girls with long hair, their hair must be properly tied up, often into a ponytail. Some schools dictate the colour and type of hair accessories that can be used. Some schools even prohibit girls from having long hair. Also, wearing make up in school is prohibited.
Schools usually enforce their school uniform code thoroughly, with regular checks by teachers and prefects. Students who fail to comply may be warned, given demerit points, publicly punished, sent home from school or even caned[16].
Most Malaysian private schools have their own school uniform, and this differs from school to school, depending on the school's ownership. Private primary schools generally have uniforms identical to those of the public system. Most private secondary schools, however, have their own school uniform. Today, many private schools have their students wear polo shirts in the school colours, and girls wear skirts instead of pinafores. The "baju kurung" is also accepted.
There are no set uniforms for kindergarten as they are privately owned. Each kindergarten might have different uniforms or allow free choice of clothing.
The uniform in most Malaysian kindergartens is the sailor uniform. These schools also tend to have a sports uniform. The remainder have uniforms identical to that of the public primary school uniform.
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008) |
Traditionally, many New Zealand Intermediate and high schools have followed the British system of school uniforms, although it is common in state schools for the boy's uniform to have a jersey and shorts rather than a blazer with tie and pants (long trousers). This usually consists of a variety of the following apparel: an 'official' school jersey, jacket and tie, a grey/white shirt, pants and/or shorts, and, in many girls' schools, kilts. Blazers and jackets are of varied colours according to the school - dark or light blue, grey, crimson, scarlet, green or black. Some follow the British practice of having contrasting colours edging the lapels and jacket fronts. Caps or other headdresses have generally been discarded since the 1970s.
Being allowed to wear long trousers as part of the uniform, rather than shorts, often marks the transition from junior to senior classes. At some schools, seniors are allowed to wear mufti casual clothing. It is customary for boys' schools to have long ("knee-high") socks in school colours worn with shorts, in contrast to that of American or Mexican schools, where girls wear knee-high socks..
During the 1980s and 1990s there was a tendency for the traditional uniform to be replaced by cheaper and more 'modern' options: polo shirts, polar fleece tops, or a complete doing away with uniforms in favour of mufti. This trend seems to have been reversed in recent years and only a small number of secondary schools have now abolished uniforms entirely. Intermediate schools usually provide the option of skirts or culottes for girls and sometimes shorts while boys will wear shorts. Also bike shorts or tights are sometimes worn under girls skirts. At high school girls will usually wear skirts or pants and boys will wear shorts or pants. Some Girls Schools also have navy blue skirts and open necked white blouses long in winter and short in summer as the skirts are not allowed higher than below the knee; the skirts also have splits up the center at the back
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Due to its colonial history public and private sector schools both have uniforms. Boys mostly wear shirts and trousers with a tie, while girls wear a dress or a skirt when young and the traditional "shalwar Kamiz" after 7 or 8 years of age. Uniforms differ between winters and summers e.g. the colour of trousers, additional clothing e.g. sweaters or blazers etc. Some schools have caps.
Although strictly enforced when young, older school children personalise their clothing e.g. by wearing low coloured jeans instead of pants, or girls might wear a hijab. Young kids however can face fines, can be sent back home and can even face verbal and physical punishment for not wearing the right clothes. Some school provide a day where boys and girls can wear "coloured clothes" i.e. anything that they wear normally while others do away with uniforms altogether by the time they reach A levels.
In madraasas, boys normally wear a white cap and the traditional Pakistani dress of shalwar kamiz. Girls also wear this but almost always wear a hijab or a "dubatta" (shawl) on their heads. Shalwar kamiz is a traditional dress which is not only worn as a school uniform, but is also worn as normal clothing. It is also very necessary for a girl to wear a hijaab or a "dupatta", to show respect and look disciplined.
However some institutions don't follow the restriction of school uniforms. students of these institutions are allowed to attend school without uniform in normal routain dress.
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008) |
School uniforms are common in Philippine schools for both elementary and high school, as well as a few colleges. For boys, a school uniform normally consists of a white shirt (some similar to the Barong Tagalog) with short sleeves and slacks of either khaki, black or blue. For girls, a uniform would be a white blouse with short sleeves, a ribbon, a necktie and a pleated skirt.
In the 1970s and 80s, school uniforms were usually white long-sleeved shirts and neckties with black slacks for boys, while s