What is a school without a name and a uniform? These are some of the things that give any school its identity. Of course, the founder and a few trusted parties usually come up with these long before the school doors fly open. But, eh, some school uniforms are such a pain.
Imagine wearing a uniform that is one colour in term one, another in second term, and a completely different shade in term three. Talk about fading fabric. Then, for some schools, the colours and materials have to change slightly because the original choices are no longer available on the market.
That is exactly what happened during my A-levels. At one point, the uniform was a greenish-grey. Then it became a lighter grey. By the third term, the school administration had changed it to a light brown.
Throughout all these changes, there was no communication as to what was going on, save for the announcement: ‘This is the new uniform colour.’ Clearly, whatever fabric or colour had originally been chosen seemed to be no more.
As strange as that sounds, something even stranger is the idea of students wanting to determine their school uniform. The first time I heard a conversation around that, I wondered what kind of students we have today.
Pardon my millennial mindset of questioning less and following more, but what happens if every student gets to determine what they want to wear? I know this can happen in some international schools, but then that ceases to be a school uniform.
Rather, the policy may as well read: ‘Everyone dresses as they please.’ Getting back to students having a say in what their school uniform looks like, I find myself thinking about schools that have existed for decades.
What would happen if students were given that responsibility? For starters, the school administration would never know how many uniforms to stock. After all, they cannot be sure what the next year’s lot of students will feel like wearing.
And what happens to the new entrants? Do they wait for the first term to end while the rest of the students build consensus on what works and what does not? That would be a procurement disaster waiting to happen. Then there is the question of decision-making itself.
What happens if there is no majority vote? Does the school simply do away with uniforms for that year? Does everyone show up in whatever they choose? While some school uniforms surely need a revamp, I think this idea of students having a say in everything that affects their lives is being taken to a notch higher.
And in this narrative, we might be missing a few important things. To start with, life is about choices, and every choice has consequences.
So, as you complain about how dull your school uniform is, have you stopped to think about what it takes to come up with one in the first place? There are considerations of cost, availability, durability, and practicality. Someone has to think through all of that.
The other missing piece of the puzzle is that life is not always fair. Sometimes you simply have to work with what is available.
So, get off your high horse and focus on the more important things-like understanding what you are taught, praying that your school fees are paid on time, and making the most of the opportunities before you.
I can already hear some of you saying that I am taking things a little too seriously. But I tell you this: when small things are ignored, they soon become stumbling blocks. We cannot always have our cake and eat it. I hear you when you say you hate your school uniform.
But I also want you to remember that your parents did not pay school fees so that you could love the uniform, but so that you could study. Now, if your complaint was about poorly cooked meals, perhaps we would have a much better conversation. That affects your day-to-day life in a very real way.
But for now, my advice is simple: leave matters of the generals to the generals. Till your garden well. Focus on your studies. Enjoy your school days without complicating them by wanting a choice in everything. Some decisions are best left to those tasked with making them.