'Transforming' uniforms, even shoes and backpacks must be the same

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Long (48 years old), whose child is a first grader at a high school in District 6 (HCMC), was upset when the school issued a uniform regulation that included a backpack. Mr. Long and his wife are freelancers with unstable incomes, so the expenses they have to pay at the beginning of the new school year for their child have become a "sleepless" worry.

"At the beginning of the year, there are so many things to worry about, and the school still requires students to buy all kinds of uniforms, from clothes, backpacks, notebooks... The clothes change in style and design, and you can't not buy them. In addition, there is a rule that students must buy backpacks with the school logo printed on them, which cannot be found in the market ," said Mr. Long.

The school calculates the price of the backpack included in the uniform combo, ranging from 1.8 - 2.2 million/combo, for female students, including the following items: skirt, shirt, gym outfit, backpack, and ao dai fabric set with logo. The male uniform is sold at 1.8 million VND.

Uniform distortion: Not only clothes, shoes and backpacks must also be the same. (Illustration: T.Q) — Uniform variation: Not only clothes, shoes and backpacks must also be the same. (Illustration: China)

The school also noted that parents must register for at least 1 combo, and the school does not sell individual logos to stick on uniforms. "With this regulation, whether parents want it or not, they still have to order from the school. Even though backpacks are said to be voluntary, they are included in the uniform combo. If you buy a different type, it will not be accepted ," he added.

Eager to have her child enter first grade, Ms. Ngoc Oanh (30 years old, Thanh Tri district, Hanoi) prepared school supplies for her child as soon as the admission and class placement announcement was received.

However, when the child started the new school year, the whole family had to rush to fix the errors because some items did not meet the school's requirements. For example, the child's book covers, pens, and writing boards must follow the prescribed model. If the parents did not meet the requirements, they were forced to buy them all again from the beginning until they were "standard".

The climax before the first day of school, Ms. Oanh and her husband woke up at 2am to change the covers and labels of their child's notebooks because they were not the ones provided by the school . "I find it very strange that now students also have to wear uniforms including covers and notebooks. Each school has its own regulations, so parents don't know what to do," Ms. Oanh lamented.

This parent also believes that schools should only require clothing as uniforms, and should not require too many details such as what color the book covers are, what kind of notebook labels are, or what color the pens must be. According to her, schools requiring all kinds of uniforms, from clothes to small school supplies such as notebook labels, pens, etc., is unnecessary.

"This makes the school lose its reputation, teachers have to give detailed information about what to prepare, and if parents buy things in advance that are not according to regulations, it is a waste," she emphasized.

Regarding the above story, Ms. Dang Phuong Trang, 25 years old, a teacher at a secondary school in Hanoi admitted that in recent years, some places have set too many regulations on uniforms, causing parents to "complain".

"In the past, school uniforms were quite simple, requiring only a white shirt, dark pants or skirts, and a winter coat. However, in reality, many schools now add all sorts of different things such as vests, gym clothes, and even nap uniforms," said Ms. Trang, affirming that this makes the costs for the new school year become burdensome for parents.

This female teacher also frankly admitted that the term “uniform” in schools today no longer refers to the same outfits worn by students in school, but has been “transformed” into many other things. School bags, backpacks, pens, crayons, even notebook labels, notebook covers… must all be identical according to general regulations.

According to her, the regulation of book covers sometimes makes students hesitate to express their personality and creativity. "They will think that everything must be uniform and the same to be right. Thus, in the long run, it can affect the development of personal opinions," the teacher stated.

Ms. Do Thu Ha, 26 years old, a primary school teacher in Hanoi, believes that uniforms contribute to building an equal learning environment, without discriminating against students with different conditions. Implementing uniforms also contributes to creating a united and cohesive class.

However, each student has a different personality and style, so in addition to the days of wearing uniforms, wearing clothes of choice is also very necessary for the development and expression of their personalities. "As long as the clothes the students wear are comfortable, convenient but still ensure aesthetics and are suitable for the educational environment ," Ms. Ha concluded.

According to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, uniforms are costumes used for all students of a school to wear when going to school to raise the sense of responsibility, honor, pride in the school's traditions, demonstrate equality among students, and contribute to building a learning environment and cultural lifestyle.
Uniform includes: Solid color pants, solid color shirt (shirt, jacket or tunic), badge, shoes or sandals.

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