Changing our school uniforms

From Rakyat Merdeka

Street brawls involving students from different schools have taken place at a greater intensity in this reform era. The brawls have now involved community members. Some of the community members are fed up with these brawls.

School teachers have indeed tried to improve the discipline of their students during school hours, but unfortunately more undesirable things have happened outside school hours. Students wearing the national uniforms (red-and-white for elementary schools, blue-and-white for junior high schools and gray-and- white senior high schools) are strangely proud and feel protected when they are involved in street brawls wearing their school uniforms. As the uniforms are the same, if a number of schools are involved in a brawl, it is difficult to identify which students come from which school.

Therefore allow me to propose to the relevant officials the following: * School uniforms need not be the same nationwide. Let every school determine their own uniform, particularly with respect to colors and motifs. This may lead students from different schools to avoid involvement in street brawls. Besides, it will be easily seen which schools are more often involved in such brawls so that the school management may find it easy to identify their students. * It is not necessary for every student to own a Pramuka (boy scout) uniform. Only Pramuka members must have it and this will be put on only during exercises. This will prevent the image of Pramuka from being tarnished.

Zulian Halimi

Serpong Tangerang