Uniforms are necessary

I refer to a letter from Carol Hodgkiss published in The Jakarta Post on March 5, concerning the wearing of school uniforms uniforms in Indonesia. I can understand she is surprised to see all school students in Indonesia wearing uniforms to school.

She compared the situation to that in Britain, where school students are not obliged to wear uniforms.

Unlike Britain and other advanced countries, Indonesia is troubled by a wide gap between the haves and the poor, so school uniforms are necessary to avoid social envy in schools.

As it is mandatory for uniforms to be made of the same material, usually one that is not very expensive, children of rich parents have no opportunity to show off their expensive or luxurious clothing in schools.

By obliging school students to wear uniforms, it is easy to control students hanging out in shopping malls, public places and other places outside schools.

It is true that most schools, not teachers, provide uniforms for their students so as to help them obtain uniforms at lower prices, given that Indonesia is still struggling to narrow the yawning gap between the haves and the poor, which has widened because of the current economic crisis.

SOEDARTO

Jakarta