School uniforms: Should they be separate for each school or just white shirts and dark pants?

At the beginning of the new school year, the story of school uniforms is "hot" again on parent forums.

There are comments that the school constantly changes its uniforms, causing parents to spend money, and that the school uniforms are more expensive than those outside... In addition, many parents also question whether the school needs student uniforms or if students just need to go to school with "white shirts, dark pants/skirts"?

Recently, in an official dispatch to deploy tasks at the beginning of the school year, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training strictly forbade schools from forcing students to make or buy uniforms, but only specified the uniform models so that students' families could equip and purchase them themselves, avoiding waste.

Ho Chi Minh City students return to school for the new school year 2025 - 2026 in school uniforms

Photo: DAO NGOC THACH

UNIFORM IS THE BRAND OF THE SCHOOL

For many years, schools in the old District 8 area of ​​Ho Chi Minh City such as Ly Nhan Tong Primary School, Thai Hung Primary School, Tran Danh Lam Primary School, Chanh Hung Secondary School... have not set a specific uniform model but only require students to wear white shirts, dark blue pants (male students), dark blue skirts (female students) and parents will provide and buy them outside. The school will issue badges with the student's name and the school's name for families to attach to their children's shirts.

However, in most other localities, each school has its own uniform.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Q. (whose eldest daughter is in 4th grade at Le Van Tho Primary School, An Hoi Dong Ward, Ho Chi Minh City and her youngest daughter is in a public kindergarten in the neighboring area) said that at her child's school, the uniform has been stable for many years without change. At the beginning of the school year, if parents see that their child can still wear the old uniform, they do not need to buy one. In recent years, Ms. Q. has not had to buy a uniform for her eldest daughter, because a cousin in the same grade left her uniform for her to use.

Many schools only require students to wear white shirts and dark pants or skirts, and families provide their own.

PHOTO: THUY HANG

"I think schools need to have their own uniforms, not just casual clothes to school, and uniforms are not just white shirts and trousers, every school is the same. As long as the uniforms meet the following criteria: design and style are stable over many years, ensuring continuity. If the students buy new ones this year, they can still use them in the following years, or give them to future generations of students; the materials and designs are student-friendly, suitable for the weather in Ho Chi Minh City, and the price is affordable for parents," said Ms. Q.

Ms. Q. also analyzed the reasons: "First, students wearing uniforms to school shows seriousness, neatness, and enhances learning spirit. Second, the unique uniform model distinguishes students from other schools, and is a brand identity image. Especially in a special educational environment, a developed education like Ho Chi Minh City, having uniforms is the dream of many students so that they can strive to pass the entrance exam to that school. As my children always say: "I wish I could wear the uniform of Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted in the future"".

Also supporting the need for students to have their own school uniforms, Ms. Do Anh Anh (who has 2 children in grade 12 at Nguyen Du High School, Hoa Hung Ward and grade 6 at Tan Binh Middle School, Tan Son Nhat Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said: "When they put on their own school uniforms and go out, the children know what they should and should not do."

Ms. Anh said that parents support a long-term, stable student uniform model. In addition, the material is good and durable because if students take good care of it, they can wear it throughout their school years without having to buy new ones, saving costs. The maximum price of a uniform is 300,000 VND/set, which is reasonable.

HOW DO STUDENTS LIKE UNIFORMS ?

Nguyen Hoang Gia Han (class 12A2, Nguyen Du High School, Hoa Hung Ward) said that from elementary school to high school, all the schools he attended had their own uniforms for all students.

"Except for Monday mornings when we need to wear white ao dai, the rest of us wear regular uniforms or gym uniforms. I like the school uniform because it's beautiful and comfortable to wear. For girls, the skirt always has protective pants underneath to cover up. Or like with Tan Binh Secondary School's uniform, girls have wide-leg pants, which look very similar to a skirt, both beautiful and cover up," Han said.

Han also thinks that each school should have its own uniform, instead of all schools wearing only white shirts and dark blue pants. "Uniforms help identify students. With the actions of students, if they behave well, the image of students in that school will be spread. On the contrary, with bad behavior, with easily identifiable uniforms, students in that school will also be condemned. If all students in every school wear only white shirts and blue pants, everyone is the same, if a student has bad behavior, the community will also lump them together as students today," the female student said. At the same time, according to Han, school uniforms must have continuity, tradition, and create a brand, not be different every year, because there are families who buy uniforms for their children to study throughout the entire school year.

In big cities, most schools have their own school uniforms, which are the school's brand identity.

Photo: Ngoc Duong

N REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENT UNIFORMS

Mr. Van Nhat Phuong, Principal of Le Dinh Chinh Primary School, Minh Phung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, commented: "In big cities, most schools have their own student uniforms. The uniform needs to have the legacy of that school, elegant colors, easy to identify and must be convenient for students when participating in educational activities, especially students who study 2 sessions/day and are boarding students in increasingly harsh weather conditions."

Mr. Phuong further analyzed: "In the past, many schools chose beautiful uniforms, white shirts and blue pants, because students only studied for one session. Now, students study all day and have a lunch break at school. If they only wear white shirts, they will easily wrinkle and get yellowed, so many schools choose student uniforms in colors like yellow, light blue... At the same time, many students also go through puberty early, so student uniforms also need to change to suit the physical condition and psychology of students, from fabric materials, long pants to gym uniforms...".

Mr. Do Dinh Dao, Principal of Nguyen Huu Tho High School, Xom Chieu Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, believes that student uniforms have a greater meaning than a regular outfit. Uniforms erase material boundaries, leaving the only important thing being the learning spirit and morality of each student. In addition, uniforms contribute to building a beautiful school culture. Wearing uniforms, students carry honor, responsibility and self-respect. Therefore, uniforms are a lesson in community awareness, discipline and solidarity.

However, according to Mr. Do Dinh Dao, for student uniforms to truly promote their value, they need to meet many criteria, including the financial aspect of parents, not changing every year causing difficulties for students' families. "First of all, it is aesthetics, uniforms should have a beautiful design, suitable for the age and maintain elegance, with the school's own mark, such as logo, color, symbol. Second, it is comfort and convenience because students have to wear them all day at school, so the material needs to be cool and easy to move in. Third, uniforms must be suitable for the economic conditions of most parents, avoiding following expensive fashion trends that cause unnecessary financial pressure", Mr. Dao emphasized.

Family has 2 children going to school, how much do you spend on books and uniforms at the beginning of the year?

Ms. Tuyen (whose daughter is in grade 6 at Khanh Binh Secondary School, and her son is in grade 2 at Thai Hung Primary School, both in Chanh Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) listed that she spent more than 300,000 VND on each set of textbooks, not including the cost of notebooks, pens, and school supplies. This year, her children are using old sneakers and the backpacks were given to them, so she didn't have to buy them; she bought 5 ready-made uniforms for each child (2 gym sets; 3 white shirts, skirts, or regular blue pants). The price of the older daughter's uniform is about 300,000 VND/set, while the price of the son's uniform is a little less. Thus, at the beginning of the school year, the cost of uniforms, textbooks, notebooks, pens, etc. for the two children alone is nearly 4 million VND.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dong-phuc-hoc-sinh-nen-rieng-tung-truong-hay-chi-can-ao-trang-quan-sam-mau-185250826192716209.htm