Uniforms should be made mandatory at high schools

School uniforms in high schools are becoming increasingly popular across Canada. In fact, most school boards are positive towards making uniforms mandatory. Uniforms at high schools should be mandatory. Can uniforms really make a difference in a student’s academic performance? Of course, they can. First of all, uniforms create an atmosphere of equality at school. When worn by all students, uniforms reduce the gap between the rich and the poor and therefore, promote equality. Moreover, in the absence of uniforms, the wealthier students tend to look down and shun the poorer students as it gives them a chance to flaunt their wealth. For instance, other students mock at a student who does not keep up with the latest fashion, because he/she cannot afford it. However, introduction of uniforms gets rid of this problem because all the students wear the same clothes to school and no one has a reason to mock at the poorer students. Consequently, equality and freedom are established in the schools. Reduction in economic differences, as a result of wearing uniforms, creates an environment of equality at high schools. In addition to promoting equality, uniforms also decrease the violence levels at high schools and improve discipline. School uniforms play a major role in reducing potentially dangerous altercations among students. Many unsuspecting and vulnerable students unknowingly wear gang-coloured or gang-affiliated clothes to school. Mandatory school uniforms can bring an end to students being mistaken for members of rival gangs and being hurt for the sake of gang-members defending their territory. A survey conducted by Statistics Canada between 1992 and 1995 in Ontario high schools shows that 91 percent of incidents involving crime and police interventions in schools took place where uniforms were not mandatory. Furthermore, uniforms help school officials in detecting intruders like drug dealers who come unwelcome into the school. Thus, uniforms reduce violence at high schools by discouraging gang fights and making it easier to recognize intruders. Thirdly, uniforms enforce discipline towards learning and enhance education. Students have to wear a particular set of clothes throughout their high school careers. This results in building up of self-discipline for each student, which is beneficial to the long-term process of learning. For example, students’ attention is not diverted towards the latest designs and hence, can spend more time concentrating on academic goals. Uniforms improve a person’s attitude towards success too. Students generally act the way they are dressed and with fewer distractions, they are able to focus on their goals and obtain better results. Hence, uniforms result in better learning at high schools for students through the development of self-discipline and positive point of view towards success. Finally, uniforms give students a sense of identity. Uniforms are a symbol of the school that a student belongs to. For instance, when students are taken on field trips, they are identified as being from a certain school from the uniforms their wear. Uniforms help in distinguishing the students of one school from the other. Uniforms also arouse pride within students towards the school they belong to. As a result, a student is identified as a part of his/her school and there is a certain amount of responsibility to uphold. Therefore, uniforms are a source of identity, responsibility and honour within a student towards his/her school. High schools must make school uniforms compulsory. Uniforms have established the fact that they can improve almost every aspect of school. Uniforms promote equality of status and rights, curb student violence and improve the school’s academic atmosphere. Uniforms have the potential to raise the standard of education all over Canada and produce better citizens in the near future.