Although I have no real updates on the school since my last post, someone recently asked me why uniforms were considered so important when GGYN struggles with other resources. I found this a very valid question, especially considering that I've spent twelve years of my life in a school uniform and couldn't give a good answer. I asked Mollishmael about it and he gave me several reasons, some of which surprised me.
For one, a dress code deters students from judging others based on what they wear and from worrying too much about what they wear themselves. This is one of the main justifications that I've always heard when questioning why I had to wear a uniform, although back then I didn't appreciate the beauty of putting no thought into what I wore beyond the three different colors of polo shirts available. The use of a uniform as an equalizer is different here, though; in Mollishmael's words, "Some students own five outfits and some only have one, so the kids who always wear the same thing feel bad about themselves compared to those who have different clothes every day of the week." I would actually say that the majority of the students who don’t have uniforms do wear the same outfit everyday, so single uniform for them would also be a huge addition to their wardrobes.
Another purpose that uniforms serve is to make the school appear more united and professional. This is something that I also learned back in my uniform days when a nun told fourteen-year-old me that my jeans with ripped knees made me look "like I belong in a dumpster." With Sister's encouraging words in mind, I do definitely see the merit in having uniforms to prevent distractions and promote taking school seriously. This reason is again taken to another level here in Africa, though, as virtually all schools have uniforms, including government schools. As a side note, one thing that I've actually found really adorable here is that school buildings are often painted to match uniforms, so the government schools are painted light-orange on top and brown on the bottom to match the uniform shirts and shorts/skirts of the respective colors. As GGYN does not have a building, the uniforms are especially important in giving the school a distinct professional appearance. GGYN helps kids who have no other choices for school, yet their uniforms remind them that they belong in a school just as any other uniformed student does.
Finally and most surprisingly to me, the uniforms also apparently have safety purposes. One thing that I've noticed here is that kids are often independent when they're very young; as in by the age that I could cross the street without holding someone's hand, many of these kids could have been helping sell things at the market. Students at GGYN who bring money to buy lunch go off on their own to buy food down the road, and the kids - some as young as two and three who are helped by older siblings - also all walk to and from school along busy streets. According to Mollishmael, if something were to happen to one of the students when he or she is off alone like this, someone could recognize where the child goes to school and therefore know where to bring the student for help. I never would have considered this reason, so I'm really glad that I asked.
If anyone else has any questions about GGYN, I would be more than happy to answer them! Feel free to comment or send me an e-mail at madelinemclennon@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment