Of Uniforms and Students

KATHMANDU, March 25: It begins with a gelled-up Green Day hairdo for the boys, Korean fringes for the girls, which tell much about a student’s personality and lifestyle. Matching the hairdo, other add-ons such as chains, earrings, spikes and tattoos complement the new getup youngsters in major cities have adapted for themselves, to such an extent even their school uniforms are being influenced. [break]

Fashion, it is said, is an expression of the mind. In that case, have our students found their expression? Are they trying to have their say? Let’s find out.

Commenting on the ever-growing new culture of dressing, psychologist Dr Ganga Pathak, who counsels at the National Institute of Psychology says, “Adolescents are concerned with body image. They have a tendency to grab attention by dressing in extraordinary ways.”

She adds, “These days, youngsters are shifting their focus to fashion and style due to lack of recreational activities and monotonous course of studies.”

Extraordinary or not, the teen years are surely a period of self-exploration, also a time self-esteem reaches its peak. As Pathak puts it, youngsters are in the process of venting their emotions through fashion.

The socio-psychological impact of the decade long conflict has hit every individual in the country and youngsters, who comprise a large chunk of population, have been the most hard-hit as they seek channels through which to vent their frustration. The influence of western media is high among teenagers who prefer Hollywood flicks and pop music.

In terms of choice of wardrobe, youngsters can be found indulging in a wide array of pop culture clothing, to the point that the naturally rebellious youngsters have even started to violate dress codes enforced by educational institutions.

A-level student Dipak Rai of Xavier’s International who finds his gray Converse more comfortable and stylish than the normal college shoes says, “No offense, but going against the college rules is cool.”

This phenomenon is obviously not recent, but the trend in students reinventing the uniforms to become glamorous and stylish outfits has escalated like never before. Simple black leather shoes are replaced with pumps, ballerina slippers, court shoes and Converse.

While wrappers and mini-skirts are soon replacing the traditional long skirt for the girls, Converse, loafers and party shoes, together with well-fitted suits and Michael Jackson-type trousers, have ousted the shapeless, flowing pants for college boys.

This is all much to the dismay of the discipline enforcers at educational institutes. Dr Shiva Dutta Gyawali, principal of Universal College says, “Three girls have already been suspended for uniform issues, including heavy makeup.”

Gyawali, who has installed a king-size mirror within college premises to make students aware of what’s wrong with dressing in a way which breaches the dress code adds, “Uniforms are to be compulsory to keep order, unity and equality among students from diverse backgrounds.”

While Gyawali’s conclusion makes sense, students studying in his institution are of a different opinion. Ushmita Rimal, an undergraduate in journalism who sports a shortened wrapper skirt and courts shoes, says, “Why look ugly when one can look pretty with little effort? I prefer court shoes over normal college shoes as it goes with my college attire and makes me look smart.”

However, Rimal is also annoyed with the way some students overdo it. “Though colleges disapprove of skirts above knee-length, I see girls wearing really short skirts.”

Chiri Kaji, security personnel of the same college says, “In summers girls switch to skirts, which really is not a problem. But there are situations when the discipline in charge of the college has to warn the students for breaching the dress code.”

He adds, “If students are warned on the breach of the dress code, some reply back saying they have opted for this particular college due to the dress code.”

Like Kaji said, there are numerous accounts of students opting for certain institution because of the dress code. Dipesh Shrestha, a faculty and administrative personnel at Nobel College smirks, “It is funny… students these days. Some of the students that I have counseled say they opted for a particular college because they dislike another institution’s dress.”

Both the administration and the students might have their share of complaints, but boys and girls around town prefer to wear their pants way lower than their waist. And girls, bold or not, are challenging the accepted norms and braving mini-skirts in the face of onlookers’ stares in the streets.

The battle between students and administration continue as discipline enforcers even send circulars to tailoring outfits to abide by a set of rules while stitching uniforms.

Ranjeeta Karki of Merina Impex, a two decade old shirting and suiting says, “Some boys insist we sew short and tight pants, and girls lobby for a 12-inch skirt. We then ask them to get the signature of the principal as we have received strict directions from the colleges on how to style uniforms. But few manage to bring the signatures as they happen to be the relatives of the principal or the management.’’

While Gyawali and the likes stress the need for uniforms, there are a few institutions students don’t have to comply with a standard. St Xavier’s College in Maitighar, for instance, is one of them. However, like every college, St. Xavier’s does have a code of conduct for the students’ dress.

Talking to myrepublica.com, principal of St Xavier’s, Rev Dr Antonysamy, S J says, “College goers are grown-ups. Therefore, we respect and don’t want to curtail their freedom.”

He feels a sense of responsibility comes from within so students should be internally motivated on what to do and what not. “They are to be decently dressed,” the Father adds.

Contrary to what Gyawali has to say, Richa Karmacharya, a student in St Xavier’s says, “Everyone wants to look attractive. In initial days of the college, there were issues like which dress to wear, but after getting into a particular friend’s circle I am okay. There are no problems as such.”

Apart from the uniforms, the influence of other accessories is also of note. Take the traditional backpack for instance, which is fast being replaced by sling bags. Students seem to be attracted to the trendy bags new fashion outlets have on offer.

Sahara Sharma, a second year student of Universal College says, “My glittering white leather bag is cool, and enough for me to carry my load as I do not carry a chunk of books like back in school days.”

Along with the mushrooming of colleges, a variety of dress codes have surfaced in the market and with it the demand for tailored clothing. Together with the trend of altering uniforms, growing demand has led to an outburst of tailoring and fashion outlets in major cities. But with inflation growing in Nepal, youngsters are also paying a huge price.

Karki of Merina Impex says, “Prices are fluctuating rapidly. Soon, the stitching prices will rise and will affect the college uniforms too.” She adds, “Usually, college students of reputed colleges order at least two pairs of uniform and a tie, which costs around NRs 2200.”

Students then opt for Converse shoes, which cost around NRs 2000. Ballerina or court shoes for girls comes in at a comparatively lower price, but still fetches NRs 700-1500. In such, college students spend at least NRs 4000, a sum that takes care of three years of education for students like Arjun Majhi, who studies in Nanda Ratri, a government school in Naxal.

“The modern age is all about influence and adolescents are heavily influenced by their movie stars or role models. If students are limited within certain boundaries and compelled for particular tasks, they instead go against the authority. That’s their nature,” psychologist Pathak adds, “Rather college management should opt to suggest in a friendly manner.”

(All photos by Dipesh Shrestha)

sumina@myrepublica.com