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Should we have school uniforms? 

 

BillabongBabe has started a great debate about the merits of school uniforms, asking users to make up their minds about whether uniforms should be banned.

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The debate so far...

BillabongBabe asks if uniforms (a)"give no room to show... your culture and style, and make students look like servants wearing livery" or (b) make school students more equal by removing the opportunity for them to display their wealth through their clothes.

Octoparrot thinks we should keep school uniforms or "schools would become cat-walks".

Jamiejoo also thinks we should keep schools uniforms because "you feel part of a society... you don't need to faff about in the morning trying to pick out clothes that make you look 'cool' ...and you can't be teased for bad fashion sense or anything".

Octoparrot also points out that "pupils should have the same dress code as teachers, that way everyone looks smart, and doesnt wear a uniform that they hate wearing".

The idea of slightly less strict uniforms appeals to Youdontknowme, who argues that these "would be more practical, and allow oportunity for creativity. But abolishing them completely would turn schools into a fashion parade".

More about School uniforms

According to a 2003 government survey examining public attitudes towards school uniforms:

• 83% of parents were in favour of pupils wearing school uniform
• 77% of all respondents were in favour of pupils wearing school uniform
• 68% thought that school uniform could help improve school discipline
• 66% felt that school uniform could improve school standards

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Zoos - good or bad? 

 

Zoos around the world are filled with lots of different wild animals, from gorrillas to tigers. The animals come from all around the world and zoos give us the oppportunity to see them up close. But is it ok to do put these animals in zoos?

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How did zoos come about?

The first-known collection of animals was in 2400 BC, by Shulgi, the ruler of Ur (now South-East Iraq). Wild animals were kept during the ancient civilizations of Egypt.

Live animal collections also existed in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. The collections of animals in ancient times were not open to the public and so cannot be classified as zoos.

The first zoo

London Zoo, then named the Zoological Garden, opened in 1828 for scientific studies only admitting members and their guests. By 1947, visitors were allowed in and they would pay an entry fee to aid funding the research. London Zoo was the first place where wild animals were exhibited in captivity.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Scientific research can be made in order to benefit the animals such as developing treatments.
• Threatened, abandoned or lost animals can be found a home.
• Zoos nowadays resemble animals' natural habitats.
• Endangered species can be brought back through breeding programs.

Cons

• Animals are taken out of their natural habitats.
• Some people fear that some animals may have been wrongly taken to be placed in zoos.
• Animals that have been in captivity can no longer go back to live normally in their natural habitats.
• Their feelings cannot be interpreted therefore we cannot be sure of animals happiness.

Your comments

Student Life > Debate > This week's debate: Should we have school uniforms?