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Debate Over Public School Uniforms for Boys |
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RIYADH - The Education Ministry said it would not lift requirements that boys wear the Saudi traditional thobe (dishdash) and shumaq (the Saudi man’s headdress). “The current uniform of public schools across the country represents Saudi identity, and this won’t change for the time being,” said Saeed Almaleas, the deputy minister for boys education.
Saudi educational policies also apply to Saudi private schools, but not to international private schools where most expatriates send their children.
Under the current code, students are sent home if they do not arrive to school in the traditional thobe and shumaq. Some education officials, such as the manager of King Faisal Schools, Mohammed Alkateeb, have called for a separate school uniform.
Alkateeb says he would like to see a school uniform consisting of pants and white, button-down shirts because the dishdash is impractical for boys schools in outdoor activities that makes the traditional long-shirt impractical. Boys, he added, are hyperactive and need less restrictive clothing than the thobe.
“The student’s convenience and how much a school uniform fulfills the needs of activities is the most important point to consider,” said Alkateeb. “Maintaining tradition should not be of significance when it comes to choosing a school outfit.”
Rashaid Alrashid, who is in charge of sports activities for Saudi schools, points out that boys change out of traditional dress for athletic events. “Students are allowed to wear athletic outfits during physical education classes and athletic events,” he said. “Other than that, the thobe is the best school uniform.”
Alrashid also says he thinks that the traditional Saudi outfit is more egalitarian. Echoing arguments made in other countries (such as the United States) for a standard public school uniform that eliminates class-based fashion competitions among students, Alrashid said he stood firmly behind the general idea of a standardized school uniform, which is what the current policy already instills.
“Wearing a white thobe eliminates competition and pressure on students who come from lower-income families that can’t afford brand new shirts and or plenty of pants every school year,” he said.
Abdul Aziz Algayamah, who teaches middle school in Riyadh, said that a different system that uses a distinct public school uniform would make it easier to handle students than the current policy.
“Students who belong to different levels could be recognizable by the color of their uniforms,” he said. “Right now it is difficult for teachers to distinguish students of different grade levels at the same school because they all dress alike.”
This color-coded system is already applied in girls’ public schools; teenage girls wear abayas to and from school in accordance with Saudi custom but remove these robes inside the school where color-coded uniforms (typically colored sleeveless dresses with long-sleeve white shirts beneath) distinguishes the girls by grade level.
Algayamah also pointed out that boys’ thobes are often made from synthetic fibers — cotton thobes are more expensive — and can be quite uncomfortable in the heat during outdoor activities because most synthetic fabrics do not have the moisture-absorbing qualities of natural cloth. But officials reject the idea of making any changes to current policy.
“There are various views about this issue, but there has been no discussion under an official framework,” said Abdullah Alssakran, the head of the School Affairs Department at the Education Ministry, adding that the current dress code doesn’t represent a major problem in his opinion.
He pointed that the current schools dress code doesn’t represent a major problem to most students who wear traditional thobe on a daily basis.
For his part Alkateeb says the thobe-and-shumaq ensemble shouldn’t instill a sense among boys that Saudi traditional garb is a “uniform” because, contrary to the ministry’s aims, he thinks the boys will develop an aversion to the traditional dress and associate it with school punishment (for not wearing it).
“Every culture is unique and has its distinctive traditional dress code,” said Alkateeb. “But none of them sets the traditional garb as a uniform because, in a way, it might lead students to resent the outfit as they get older, especially when they are forced by teachers to dress traditionally.”
Mohammed Alosimy, a former deputy minister for educational development, said he fully supports maintaining the status quo. “Our schools adopt traditional uniforms,” he said. “What is wrong with that? Boys come to schools to learn ethics, discipline and how to represent their traditional identity on a daily basis.”
Alosimy said Saudi society is already gradually facing a wardrobe change and that the public schools shouldn’t indulge this trend. “Globalization, with all of its effects, is already taking away many of our distinctions,” he said. “Today’s younger generation is removing traditional garb and putting on blue jeans and baseball caps.” |
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