The student uniform, once again, has become the center of attention
when the Japanese media announced that Thai university uniforms, with
its short-sleeve white blouse and short black skirt, as the world’s
sexiest student uniform, based on an online survey. The news has caused
people in the educational sphere to strike a note of disapproval one
after another.
Deputy Education Minister Chaiyos Jiramethakorn
said universities and business colleges should come down hard on
revealing outfits. He said the ministry is set to call in university
administrators to discuss the problem and work out policies to deal with
it. Quite a few people suggest that student uniforms be discontinued in
order to end the fuss. Regardless, it must be admitted that university
students these days wear uniforms that grown-ups regard as
improper. They dress in a very short skirt and a slim-fit blouse that
allow parts of their body to be easily seen. One main reason is that
they want to adapt their uniform to the current popular fashion trend in
order attract eyeballs.
In universities, although there are rules governing student uniforms,
students usually modify their outfits to make them more attractive,
like making the skirt shorter or the shirt tighter than is
permitted. Some may say imposing a dress code on students does not solve
the problem of sexy and improper outfits because they will eventually
find their own way to restyle the uniforms. Still, scrapping the student
uniform would not put an end to this problem either, since some
students certainly will wear more revealing clothes.
The most
practical solution could be to educate and make students appreciate the
value of wisdom and good deeds, instead of external beauty, stardom and
fame. The cannot be achieved simply by setting rules or organizing a few
hours of training programs. But good conscience should be gradually
instilled in students through constructive and self-improvement
activities that give the young guns space to exercise and exhibit their
skills and abilities. And they should be entitled to rewards, praise and
respect. Of course, this is not a cure-all medicine, but at least, the
method has its own benefits and has no negative side effects.
