Coming together

Munusamy Raviraaj and R Akshayan
How does the ‘free uniforms’ system work in government schools in rural areas? Are parents encouraged to send their children to school only because of the free uniform? What do the children studying in the rural schools feel about their uniform? An example of how this works in Tamil Nadu.

Keeping it simple

Vandana Aggarwal
The author explores what an ideal uniform is and suggests that a uniform should be economical, comfortable, culturally appropriate and must unite a diverse group of students.

The uniform self and the veiled other

Rahee Dahake
Are uniforms preparing children for the real world by creating a sense of homogeneity? Do they have a positive effect on academic achievement? Is the uniform creating a sense of school identity or is it creating differences among children? These are some of the burning questions that need to be asked, says the author in this article.

The gender question

Damayanti Mukherjee
Uniformity in the school uniform is an open question. This article looks at the gender differences and argues that there really is no single answer and not much scope for judgment.

Whose uniform is it anyway?

Simran Luthra
This article argues for more choice for students to be able to express who they are and not live in the fear of being judged or punished for their choices

Uniforms, uniformity, conformity or inclusivity?

Sheela Ramakrishnan
Do external uniforms really bring about internal inclusivity? How strong a role does the uniform play in influencing thought? The need now is to have a common colour thinking rather than common coloured uniforms— to respect every available strength rather than focus on differences.

Two eyes, two different views

Aditi Mathur and Ratnesh Mathur
What would happen if we were to drop the notion of uniformity? How wonderful it would be if we could rejoice in the diversity of thoughts, of abilities, of beliefs and of ambitions.

Then and Now

Ritika Chawla
Can a mundane thing like school uniforms have several nuances to it? From the cultural and social aspects to the historical and economical connotations, the uniform continues to be part of a student’s identity. A writer shares her experiences.

Dressing up tales

Suruchi Rastogi
This article talks about the dressing up tales of students from the point of view of a student, a mother and as a teacher/enforcer of the uniform in school.

Uniform lessons

Nagalakshmi Balakrishnan
Here is a short but interesting take on the fascination for uniforms in general.