The latest PISA report invites us to be cautious before dogmatizing any pedagogical matter, especially if we don’t have any prior related experience. The effectiveness and, above all, the quality of education depends on many factors, not the least of which is the freedom of those at the helm of the task of education.
Within the field of education, “uniformity” is a polysemantic term, as has just been proven in France. The country’s 34-year-old Minister of Education, Gabriel Attal, is not opposed to ending the homogenization of schools if it were to mean achieving better academic results. The project entails the creation of groups by academic levels – in language and mathematics – with the consequent reform of national evaluations (especially for 16-year-olds, which is when mandatory schooling ends). It aims to produce a knowledge electroshock effect to make the educational system more effective and reduce school failure rates.
At the same time, student uniform use is being tested, including within public schools. As Le Monde recently noted, five years ago a similar experiment was carried out in some primary schools, at the request of local authorities, but the results were inconclusive. 62% of parents were in favor of the project. Furthermore, uniform use was voluntary. But they were too expensive and impractical for most families. After a year, very few students were still wearing uniforms.
The purposes behind a school uniform
Now, in a guide sent to city councils, the Ministry of Education has specified details on official support for the implementation of uniforms for students in schools – colleges and lyceums – that adopt them voluntarily. The global objectives are to “strengthen cohesion among students and improve the academic climate.”
According to the French Ministry of Education, uniforms can reinforce feelings of belonging, reduce social differences and fight against the need to “dress to impress”
The characteristics of the garments will be decided locally and costs will be borne by the respective communities, with state funds. According to the Ministry, “wearing a common uniform can create an atmosphere of hard work and equality within each establishment.” In addition, it would enhance “the image of the center, and create a feeling of belonging and unity among students.” In short, it would facilitate socialization, by reducing social differences and help fight problems related to how students dress, including bullying. Logically, once the decision is incorporated into an academic institution’s code, it must be complied with by students. In any case, the principles of neutrality and secularism must be respected.
Attal already has the voluntary participation of schools from various provinces for the next academic year. He is not convinced this is the solution for the problems the project aims to address, but he is not opposed to giving it a try in the face of the politically launched debate by moderate and right extremists. In fact, school uniforms were part of Marine Le Pen’s political program in 2022, and a related bill, led by a representative from political party National Rally, was rejected by Parliament last January. However, the national association of town councils, chaired by a socialist mayor, is not opposed to this new project, as long as its stipulations are respected.
How the experiment would be launched
Although a final legal decision has yet to be made, the Ministry of Education has written several outlines as part of a short guide, with an annex of questions and answers, which highlight the main purposes of the experiment. The initiative’s implementation will be regional and will require the consensus of each academic center. The reform of each participating school’s internal regulations will be essential and must also be approved by each school board and governing body of the centers, that is, in participation with parent representatives and students.
Each academic institution will freely determine the type of clothing, its quality and quantity, depending on the age of the students, as well as the possible personalization with the name or logo of the establishment. The use of the uniform will be mandatory: therefore, non-compliance may be actionable.
Teachers’ unions and parents’ associations are not opposed in principle to the uniform, but fear that it will mask underlying problems.
The experiment will have no financial implications for families. It is estimated that the complete uniform – usually about five polo shirts, two sweaters and two pairs of pants – will cost around two hundred euros. State and local community governments will cover the expense. The funds will be considered part of schools’ educational innovation budget.
A scientific evaluation will be conducted to measure the effects of this new approach on student well-being, academic environment, and academic outcomes. Because, on an international level, research published on the subject remains inconclusive.
In any case, it will not be easy to get the support of unions and family associations. They are not opposed on principle, but they fear that it is a way of masking underlying problems and the lack of substantive political projects, for example, to overcome current difficulties in terms of the number, selection, and qualifications of teachers. And many would prefer financial aid be applied, not to uniforms, but to teaching aids or high-level extracurricular activities.
Secularism and ideologies aside
In France and other European countries, furthermore, the uniform debate is inseparable from the application of principles of secularism. Thus, controversy arose in Germany in 2016, following the removal of two Muslim students who went to school wearing burqas. The Minister of Justice, a Social Democrat, suggested the possibility of establishing a common outfit in the centers on the grounds that it would reduce possible social or religious discrimination and, at the same time, avoid brand obsession.
The idea reappeared a year later in Poland, with the aim of avoiding “fashion shows,” saving money for parents and reinforcing discipline. And a similar student-led initiative had already emerged in Switzerland among older students who wanted to make their classmates reflect on the weight of appearances based on attire. One school principal supported their campaign, noting: “a uniform guarantees an optimal environment for the educational task at hand. It helps promote discipline. It is a resource to ensure tranquility in classrooms and focus students’ attention on their academic tasks.”
Supporters considered uniformity a means of fighting against the tyranny of appearance, especially in its more or less violent forms, also present among the Swiss. But detractors denied that it served to resolve problems of aggressiveness. In German-speaking Switzerland they highlighted the risk of totalitarianism – making comparisons with Hitler Youth – which can be hidden behind any uniform.
The interesting thing would be to approach the experiment with intellectual openness, leaving aside the frequent and excessive prejudices that contaminate educational initiatives, and irrespective of whether the next PISA report confirms its success.
Translated from Spanish by Lucia K. Maher