Dress codes in School

School uniforms have proven to have benefits to the students. It prevents the hassle of deciding what to wear each morning, eradicates bullying based on outfits, reduces the stark difference in class, promotes school spirit, etc. But has the purpose of uniforms been twisted in modern times?

Many schools these days seem to care more about the students’ dress codes than required. I remember many times in middle school when I was publicly pulled out of assembly and threatened to be sent home because my hair was in one ponytail instead of two, or when I was missing a ribbon. Schools are really strict when it comes to these trivial issues, so much so that they have actually sent students home for having a slightly incorrect uniform. While I understand that maintaining discipline in schools is important and uniform also comes under that umbrella, schools should also be aware of the kind of message they are sending their students. I’m sure my school thought they were telling me to be careful about my appearance and stay neat and tidy while they threatened to send me home for a missing ribbon; but what I actually heard was “your one ribbon can ruin an entire school day because we care about your uniform more than your education”. I’m pretty sure this was not the intended message, but when I think back to those days, I am sure that I was not alone in feeling that. My friends used to be deathly afraid of the principal, not because he would reprimand them for their discipline or grades, but because he would yell at them and humiliate them for their uniform. Even back then, I knew that is not the kind of impression an educational professional should be leaving on their students. Students should not be afraid that their teacher might embarrass them in front of their peers for having their uniform slightly out of order. In fact, students should not be afraid that their teacher will embarrass them at all.

This is not an isolated issue either, instead, it is a part of a much larger problem. The way I see it, schools these days are excessively strict in disciplinary issues than academic. Teachers are more bothered by how long students’ nails are than how good their grades are. While issues like this should not be trivialized by any chance, is it really more important than a students’ education? Is a slight incorrect uniform really worth telling the students that they cannot study at all that day? Is that the message educational institutes want to put out there?

Priorities of schools do not seem to be in order. If schools start punishing students by suspension for having a slightly incorrect uniform, then these are the values children will grow up with. They will start believing that their education is expendable. This is especially true for girls. Girls who are punished for having a skirt that's half an inch shorter than the requirement, girls who are accused of ‘showing too much skin’ when all they’ve done is wear what wouldn't raise any eyebrows if worn by boys. Will the school take responsibility if a girl grows up believing that how short her skirt is more important than how educated she is? 

While it is the responsibility of schools to turn students into well-rounded individuals and uniforms are somewhat a part of that, I don't think that unless a student has violated major dress code by going out of their way to disobey school rules or it’s a matter of repeated personal hygiene, the school should not interfere in how a student presents themselves.  They can discipline a student if they wear an entirely differently colored shirt than the uniform, but they shouldn’t make it a big deal if a student accidentally forgets to cut their hair and promises to cut it during the weekend. And even if the student has violated the major dress code, schools should be mindful of what action they take. The punishment should never make students feel like their appearance is in any way of more priority than their education. While a school has many responsibilities to fulfill, it should not be at the expense of their main responsibility, which is educating its students.

Written by: Saisha Dixit (Canopy Nepal)

Edited by: Sabanam Thapa (Canopy Nepal)

Canopy Nepal is a team of visionary youths working in the field of education, skill and leadership development, diversity and inclusion. We seek to improve the quality and efficiency of education by focusing on the learners and reshaping the way they learn.

Education for children with learning disabilities

Nepalese society has indeed made some strides in terms of recognizing mental illnesses, but it still has ways to go when it comes to learning disabilities. Many children suffering from learning disabilities such as dyslexia, ADHD, autism, etc. are completely ignored by the educational system and simply deemed as ‘lazy’ or ‘unwilling to work’ by the people around them. This is a major issue that has been swept under the rug for years instead of being dealt with.

Children with learning disabilities cannot function under the same conditions as children with no mental issues, or neurotypical children. They need special equipment, special environment, and special care. The caretakers should be specially trained to handle children with learning disabilities. In fact, not even all learning disabilities are same; autism, for example, is a very broad term for an array of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behavior, speech, and nonverbal communication. Autistic children are more vulnerable and are relatively easy targets for bullies. An article published in January 2019 discusses how a teacher in Florida was found abusing two autistic children by locking them in a dark bathroom or blowing loud a whistle in their ear as punishment. This happened in the United States, which is supposed to be more developed than Nepal. If this behavior is seen even in first world countries, then how are children with learning disabilities living in Nepal supposed to be hopeful? How can they anticipate a change? It is not just a national problem, but a global one.

In order to bring this issue to light in the Nepalese society, we must first acknowledge that it exists instead of turning a blind eye towards it. No change happens overnight. We can’t expect special learning schools to be constructed immediately, but we can hope that schools start to recognize that some students suffer from these conditions and prepare a curriculum suitable for them. Hiring counselors and consultants who are educated in this area can also be extremely helpful. Other children should also be educated so that they don’t view their classmates with learning disabilities as ‘lesser than’ or a ‘freak’. They should be aware that having a learning disability is like having any other disability and that a person suffering from one is still deserving of friendship and respect. We should try our very best as to not make special needs children feel like they are ‘different’. Children with special needs often have the same brain functionality as developing children, even though they are not equipped with the tools to express that. This is why talking down on them or making fun of them can be detrimental to their health. They feel the same emotions as neurotypical children, but the degree in which they do can vary depending on what disability they have.

Treating all disabilities as the same is also a common mistake. All children with learning disabilities cannot be helped with the same tools. For example, a child with Asperger’s cannot be treated using the same tools as a child with dyslexia. They are radically different issues and affect children differently.

The stigma not only exists in schools however, children might also face problems at home.  As a society, we are not educated enough about learning disabilities. Some parents may not be aware that their child may be suffering from one and might assume that their child is making excuses not to study. We can raise awareness among families. We can start campaigns that raise awareness of learning disabilities. This is not a solid solution to this widespread problem, but it is a start. We have to make strides in reducing the stigma as it is the root of all problems. We have to make sure that children who suffer from these disabilities are not discriminated against or treated with any less respect than ‘normal’ children. 

Right now, all we can do is start somewhere. Start at grassroots levels to ensure that special needs children will one day have the same privileges as neurotypical children. Start to make them believe that the system is not inherently rigged against them. 

Written by: Saisha Dixit (Canopy Nepal)

Edited by: Sabanam Thapa (Canopy Nepal)

Canopy Nepal is a team of visionary youths working in the field of education, skill and leadership development, diversity and inclusion. We seek to improve the quality and efficiency of education by focusing on the learners and reshaping the way they learn.

Public vs Private Schools

Private vs Public schools 

It is said that a school is a second home for a child. It is where children spend most of their time. Here they learn, interact, teach and also experience some of the most important lessons of their lives. The learnings can be both academic as well as practical learning. These learnings eventually shape their professional as well as private lives which will contribute to society. School is one of the most important institutions in building the nation too. The students at schools are taught information which can be assimilated in their daily lives and in society. For its importance, many people from different backgrounds have their own perspective on whether ‘education should be privatized or not.’

I have had an opportunity to experience both public as well as private schools. Private schools and public schools are the major education systems in Nepal. In public schools, the monetary resources and other materialistic resources are usually provided by the government. Hence, the fee charged at public school is less compared to private school because they are funded by the government.
On the other hand, private schools have the complete upper hand over the free structure. Private schools usually rely on their student’s fees and external donations. This has led the private school to be more expensive and inaccessible for the economically challenged family. Therefore, critics of private school argue that private school has been used as a platform to conduct business and gain profit rather than provide quality service. However, parents are still more inclined towards choosing private schools for their children, I believe that even my own parents would choose private school over public school. Though the fee might be on the high end at private schools, their quality service is what attracts their customers.
The facilities could be better at public schools as they sustain regular funds by the government, however, due to their failure of utilizing the available resources as well as limited knowledge of using such resources plays a great role in failing to provide standard education.

Class size in the above-mentioned systems is also another important aspect to look into. I have seen that in public school, the class size is larger compared to private schools.  The teacher-student ratio in the classroom can have an adverse effect on the teaching method as well.
The teacher might be exhausted due to a large number of students or are unable to give the required attention to the individual students. This will consequently influence the overall learning of the students. Private schools can utilize the funds that are available at their disposal from their high-budget fees in hiring experienced as well as trained teachers. Likewise in public schools, according to Grossberg in her article 5 major differences between public and private school, she states ‘public school teachers always need to be certified, private school teachers often don’t need formal certification.’
Nevertheless, even such certified and experienced teachers sometimes show reluctance in focusing on the comprehensive learning of the students. Limited monitoring and evaluation systems in such schools have induced such attitudes among teachers.

Even for their worthy service, private schools are better than public schools to a certain extent, however, there are rooms for improvement. For instance, private school has been praised for their quality service however, the students in private schools are also prone to rote learning.
For me because of the competitive environment which I was in at school. I had to achieve a very high percentage, hence, I would rote learn the context whether I understood the context or not. Also, higher grade attainment in private school may be prevalent, but they limit themselves when it comes to creativity.

It should not be an issue as to where a student should be sent to learn - Public or Private as long as the quality remains. As widely known, ‘Today’s children are tomorrow’s future.’ We should ensure we are giving the correct guidelines to these children who will once build our nation.