Uniform, good or not? From my point of view, students should wear school uniforms instead of casual apparel at school. In this letter, I will examine both pros and cons of the policy.

Dear Principal,

It has come to my attention that the school is going to introduce a policy that allows students to wear casual apparel when they are in school. From my point of view, students should wear school uniforms instead of casual apparel at school. In this letter, I will examine both pros and cons of the policy.

Students who advocate wearing casual apparel point out that the school uniform is old-fashioned and they should be given the right to dress what they like. They believed that making everyone wear the same school uniform infringes upon their freedom. I deeply appreciate that the school listened to students' voice and tried to look into the matter. Nevertheless, does it mean that allowing students to wear casual apparel is the right thing to do? It is true that such a policy would attend to students' freedom. They may find it convenient to be able to wear casual apparel. However, the more important concern is we can't ignore the objective fact that allowing casual apparel will induce other problems.

Peer pressure has existed in school for many years. Wearing casual dress to school will deteriorate the problem of peer pressure. Uniform acts as a social leveler, under which all students are equal in the eyes of the school and of each other. Without uniform students are often competitive and worry endlessly about their appearance and the clothes they should wear. Students without expensive and trendy clothes may be singled out as social outcasts, or stigmatized as being from poor backgrounds, thereby lowering their self-esteem. As school is not a place for flaunting wealth and fashion, why do we ...

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On top of this, the new policy may threaten the security at school. As all students are in casual apparel rather than uniforms, it's difficult for the teachers to identify if they are the students. In other words, if any strangers go into the campus, they can hardly be seen and reported and this may cause troubles. Sometimes criminals like the larcenists or even the gang members may make use of this loophole to commit crimes. As a result, school safety will be threatened and more expenditure and resources will be put on security accordingly.

Last but not least, uniform has practical benefits which can be replaced by nothing. Uniform can build up students' sense of belonging and responsibility. Being readily identified by their uniforms may make students more aware of their behavior while travelling to and from the school, leading them to act more considerately, for example, to other passengers on buses or trains. What they have done outside the school, a petty impoliteness or a serious behavior, will affect the school's reputation. Therefore, school uniform can remind students to behave themselves wherever they are, while the casual apparel can't.

In conclusion, allowing students to wear casual apparel at school will create negative effects on students' mental development, security and reputation of the school. Whilst freedom is important, in this case the negative consequences clearly outweigh the rights of students. Sticking to traditional school uniform is the only way to protect our school and our students. I sincerely hope that my suggestion will be taken into consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Cho Wing Chi 6B (4)