POSITION PAPER

Your honors, fellow debaters, ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant afternoon. Our team stands
on the negative side on the issue of having uniform as compulsory. It's not necessary for
students to wear uniforms when they go to school. Wearing uniforms is good because it
shows the uniqueness of each school and makes students look neat. Furthermore, parents of
students who wear uniforms may be proud when other people see their children wearing
the uniform when going to school.

However, when you look at the opposite side, you will see many disadvantages of wearing
uniforms. One disadvantage is the cost. If students have to wear uniforms when they go to
school, that means their parents must pay money for clothes which actually aren't necessary.
Every students family may not having money to buy uniforms which given a specific cloth
and color. Identity cards are provided to students which will not cost much money but this
can show the identity of the child as well as for the school . I think that uniforms not much
useful for everyone . In addition, wearing uniforms creates problems for parents. With
uniforms being expensive, some students might not be able to go to that school because
they have to spend so much extra money on things and then on top of that they have to
spend more on the uniforms so if they took away the uniforms it would cut down the cost
of schooling and more people might join the school.

Another main reason I think students shouldn’t have to wear uniforms because students
should be able to express themselves through what they wear and not be forced to wear
the same thing every other student wears. High school students and individuals who want
to be different from everyone else and one way they can do that is by what they wear.
When schools make students wear the same things everyone else does, they can’t be
themselves and they can’t express themselves in that way. Schools say that the way students
express themselves may not be appropriate for school and may distract other students and
may keep students from learning, but lets be honest if someone wears something that is a
little revealing I don't think that it will keep students from learning. If schools want to be
unique, I think they should focus on making their students good people and excellent
students, rather than requiring them to wear uniforms.

DepEd Order No. 46, Series 2008 sates that A student’s basic right to go to school, study
and learn is of paramount importance and should be respected and promoted at all times.
A student’s attire should reflect respect for the school as an institution for learning. A
student’s attire should not become a cause for discrimination particularly for students
belonging to a lower socio-economic status. Promoting physical hygiene and proper school
decorum is part of the teaching- learning process in schools, thus a student’s attire and
physical appearance should manifest learnings from this process.

And lastly, uniforms are uncomfortable. Polos and skirts and everything else schools require
are uncomfortable and with students having to be at school for 7+ hours they should be in
something that is comfy and they can move around in, and not in something that is
uncomfortable and something that restricts their movement. If teachers except the best
work from students, it would be in something they are comfortable in and not something
that isn’t because if someone is uncomfortable then that's all they will be thinking about
and they won’t be able to get anything done, but if the students are in something that they
like then they can focus more on learning instead of what their wearing. Allowing students
to choose their clothing is an empowering message from the schools that a student is a
maturing person who is entitled to the most basic self-determination. In a freer learning
environment, students begin with a sense of self-worth – rather than as identical captives
without options. Giving kids a choice to express themselves not only acknowledges their
individuality but creates the possibility for a relationship of mutual respect. So long as this
parade of choices does not interrupt the school day, schools should be interested in
nurturing, rather than standardizing, student expression.
For many reasons like the ones above, schools shouldn’t enforce students to wear uniforms
because it doesn’t help or hurt their education. No matter what students wear, they can
study and learn, and this is the goal of going to school and being a student.