10 reasons why university students should wear uniforms

An average student spends around Rs50,000 a year on clothes for university. Having a couple of
uniforms instead of fashion statement clothes for the university will not amount to more than
Rs10,000 per year. This means that an average of Rs40,000 can be saved per student. Multiply
this by a 1,000 students and we are saving a huge bundle by simply enforcing uniforms. The
students can pool in the savings and set up other state-of-the-art facilities, like food courts or
better labs.

Less time consuming

A boy who studies at a university spends about 20 minutes to get ready in the morning, and
most of this time is spent in selecting an outfit. The same goes for the girls who end up wasting
at least 30 minutes in getting dressed. Having a uniform would mean that each university
student would save, on average, at least 15 minutes per day, which now they can consume
doing something constructive instead, like spending some quality time with their parents
before leaving or having a proper breakfast instead of rushing out the door.

Physical fitness
Considering how unflattering most uniforms are and what a poor job they do in camouflaging
curves and flab, students will have to work much harder to look good in their uniforms. This
means students will be spending more hours in the gym now, causing the rates of Diabetes
Mellitus, Hypertension, Cardiac diseases and other obesity-related problems to decrease.

No room for excuses

In cases where teachers and students indulge in illicit affairs, the usual answer brought forth by
teachers, after being questioned, is,
‘Oh, I didn’t know he/she was a student. I thought he/she was a colleague.’
When the student is in a uniform, this excuse will no longer remain valid.
Research polls

Though no survey on this topic has been done in Pakistan, in Thailand a Suan Dusit poll
conducted just last week (September 14-17, 2013) showed that 94.4% of 1,293 university
students in greater Bangkok think uniforms are “necessary” to maintain order and their
identity. 70.96% think they should wear the uniform everyday while they attend classes. So if
they are okay with it, what issues do we have?

A symbol of being a student

Often when I am standing behind someone in a line, I have heard the teller ask for a student ID
card and more often than not, the person has left it at home. When he/she is wearing the
uniform, getting student discounts on coffees, fast food, and even travel will be a piece of cake.
If someone asks for a student ID, simply do a twirl and show them your clothes as identity of
being a student.

Difference between students and teachers

When I was teaching, it was often hard to differentiate between the throngs of students
roaming through the college and the dozens of Teacher Assistants (TA) who had barely
graduated a month ago. Sometimes I would invite a girl to grab coffee with me and only later
on realise that she is a student and not a TA. Had the students been in uniform, this problem
wouldn’t have taken place at all.

Appropriate dressing
As someone who has taught at two co-educational institutes, I have seen it all from plunging
necklines to pants which disappear at the thigh to the I-am-not-sure-you-want-to-know.
Though I don’t mind all the scenery, I think boys spend about 60 minutes every day just ogling
their colleagues. That’s again a lot of time spent doing nothing. If this time was to be used on
learning Maths, our country would be rich in engineers and mathematicians. Uniforms can
maintain an equal standard of dressing for all students.

Benefits to the uniform industry

With the demand for uniforms increasing, to meet the supply requirements the industry would
have to hire more employees. Thus, not only would this benefit the students but even the
nation as a whole.
What’s the harm?

Lastly, my question is, why not just wear a uniform? Not wearing them is not making our
students any smarter, sharper, or better! Then why not just wear them and make life easier for
all?
Hence, with so many positives and useful reasons, I see no point as to why students should not
wear uniforms.