By Mai Takeshita
In Japan, many schools require students to wear school uniforms. However, there are both positive and negative opinions about wearing school uniforms. These opinions are different from region, adults, and students. In my opinion, I agree with the opinion, “Students should be required to wear uniforms in school.” The following are three reasons why I think so.
Firstly, school uniforms can give students fairness. In school, each student has a different background in their home. Some students’ homes have money enough to buy a lot of clothes for private use. On the other hand, some other students’ homes don’t have enough money to buy variety of clothes. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, one-seventh of Japanese children are facing poverty. The rate of poverty in Japan is one of the worst countries in OECD signatories. If students are required to wear regular clothes in their school, there will be a difference, and some students might feel uncomfortable with the difference. But wearing school uniforms will enable the difference to be smaller. Basically, school uniforms are not expensive, and they are designed simply. According to a statistic by the Japanese government in 2021, the average cost of a female school uniform was about thirty thousand yen. It seems to be expensive, but these uniforms can be worn every year. On the other hand, if students wear regular clothes to schools, they will need many clothes. University students wear regular clothes, and the average of their clothes is said from ten to thirty thousand yen every season. What is more, many students buy their new clothes every year. Comparing these total costs, school uniforms are much cheaper. In terms of fairness, a school uniform is better because students won’t feel uncomfortable with the difference of the appearances by the quality of clothes.
Secondly, school uniforms make students have group consciousness. Wearing uniforms enables the students have group consciousness, and encourages them not to have bad behaviors in society. Additionally, people can recognize which school the student belongs to. As my experience, when I was in first grade in senior high school, one of my friends was going to ignore a red light and cross a pedestrian crossing. But I stopped him from doing that, saying “You are wearing the uniform.” If people saw what my friend were to do, and called our school, he/she would say students of our school were going to ignore the red light. Teachers would not feel comfortable with the call. Wearing uniforms makes people to be aware of their group, and act as a member of the group. Additionally, wearing uniforms will make people to have group psychology. My-Navi, a job finding support site, explains group psychology has anonymity, emotion, and illusion that the people have big power. If a student wearing uniform behave badly, the information will spread as the information of entire school the student belongs to.
Thirdly, school uniforms can be worn by only students. According to Gaccom (a site provides information about elementary, junior high and senior high schools in Japan, also provides community that guardians can interact with), only 20 percent of elementary schools adopt school uniforms. However, 97 percent of junior high schools require their students to wear uniforms. Also, many senior high schools adopt school uniforms. Many of students wear school uniforms for six years. If they enter universities or start working, they no longer need to wear school uniforms. University students basically wear regular clothes, and workers wear work clothes. Yasuda Women’s University, Keio University, Waseda University, etc., many universities have their uniforms, but they don’t require students to wear the uniforms in usual class days. In some work places, employees need to wear work clothes or suits to indicate cleanliness and grooming. In some other work places, employees are not required to wear work clothes or suits. It depends on the policy of the company and working style. Thus, after graduating from high schools, people no longer have opportunity to wear school uniforms. School uniform is one of the privileges for students.
The reasons above are only a small sample of the good points of wearing school uniforms. First, I explained about fairness that school uniforms have. School uniforms don’t cost so much as regular clothes. Second, I explained about group consciousness that school uniforms have. School uniforms can make students to consider what action they should do or should not do as the students of school. Third, I explained the specialness of wearing school uniforms while students. People no longer wear school uniforms after graduating from high school in Japan. It is only 12 years that people can wear them. For these reasons, I agree with the opinion “Students should be required to wear uniforms in school.”
