Uniformity at its best

Dressing alike

In Bangalore, college life begins early thanks to the Pre-University (PU) system of education.

In most places in the country, students remain in school after class 10 and start college only after finishing class 11 and 12.

 However, here, most students enter Pre-University College (PUC) after class 10 itself.
But there are some schools in Bangalore, which have class 11 and 12, where these high school students have to wear uniforms unlike their peers in PUC.

Metrolife speaks to a few high school students to find out the advantages and disadvantages of wearing a uniform and asks them if they ever wished they could wear
casuals to school like their friends in PUC.

Siddharth Joseph, a class 12 student of St Joseph’s Boys High School, simply loves wearing his school uniform.

“It gives me a sense of belonging to my school and gives me an identity. Every time I wear it, people know that I am a ‘Josephite’,” he exclaims.

He is glad that unlike his friends in PU college, who spend hours deciding what to wear, he doesn’t have to waste anytime choosing what to wear.

“Besides, most PU colleges have a dress code. So there is no advantage of not wearing a uniform,” he adds.

“Uniforms, as the name suggests, bring uniformity amongst students as there are no brands when it comes to uniforms. Things like black shoes, socks and ties, also enforce discipline.”

Agrees Manish Nagar, a science student of Bishop Cotton Boys’ School.

“After class 12, we have to wear casuals to college anyway. So why not make the most of the uniforms at this age?” he says.

He simply loves the green and white uniform of his school.  “When we wear casual clothes, a sense of competition and peer pressure arises. The different colours, branded and non branded clothes become a big deal. With a school uniform, one can avoid all that,” he feels.

As far as style is concerned, Manish pulls up his shirt collar at times. “Nothing else is allowed in school,” he smiles.

However, for girls, wearing uniforms is a different ball game altogether. Rithika Shenoy, a student of Frank Anthony Public School, loves wearing her school uniform, but lists out a few disadvantages of wearing it.

“At times, you wouldn’t want strangers to know where you are studying. But when you wear a uniform and travel in public transport, everyone gets to know which school you are from,” she notes.

Besides, wearing skirts and travelling in public transport is surely not easy. Despite all this, Rithika still loves her school uniform. “Every morning, I don’t have to break my head about what to wear. And when it comes to casual clothes, not everyone can dress alike as everyone belongs to different income groups. Besides, some conservative parents may not allow their children to wear certain clothes. In such cases, uniforms are the best.”