I think one of the best things schooling in Nigeria gave us was the anonymity that came with wearing school uniforms. I don’t think there’s a single school in Nigeria that doesn’t wear uniforms, and I really like that fact.
I once had a chat with someone who told me that he would have preferred it if students were allowed to wear any dress they wanted to school. As long as it was decent, then there was no problem at all. However, the reality is that Nigerian schools take an active interest in the looks of their students. Not just the uniforms, but also how students look in general. And if you’re not up to standard, you just could get punished.
One of the major advantages of school uniforms is the easy identification. Just by the dress the children wear, even a stranger will know where they school. This is helpful because, in the case of any issue involving a child, the school might be the first place to call for identification.
Also, the uniform is just like the flag of any given country, it shouldn’t be disrespected. It should always be clean and neatly ironed. It should be properly tucked in, whether it’s the shirt and shorts/trousers for guys or the shirt and skirt/pinafore for girls. This is to ensure that the students look sharp all the time.
In my school (both primary and secondary), the school uniform wasn’t the only thing perused by the teachers for perfection. They also scoured every inch of our body. They dictated how our hair would be; for guys, it had to be lowcut and girls were either making select hairstyles or also sporting lowcut. In my secondary school, all girls were strictly low cut. They also checked our fingernails to ensure they were cleanly cut, sometimes they would go as far as checking our teeth out to ensure we brushed that day.
And then, there is the socks inspection. You have to wear socks, and it must be white. Any other color and there’ll be hell to pay. Nah… just kidding. There won’t be hell to pay, they’ll just seize it from you. And as for footwear, you can only wear the sanctioned ones. Be it shoes or sandals, you can only wear what is approved by the school or you’re gonna be having problems with them. And it’s just a hassle.
All these sound rigid, but they’re actually quite easy to follow. As I said, it creates a sort of anonymity among students because everyone will look the same. Since everyone is wearing the same thing, no one will be sporting the latest trends and showing off to their other classmates.
And I mean this really, because in my school any form of showing off wasn’t accepted. You couldn’t even wear gold wristwatches in my school, we had one Vice principal who liked to seize stuff, she would have taken it from you faster than you could have taken it off your wrist. She seized hoodies, necklaces, and even rosaries. Yeah, if your rosary is not that glow-in-the-dark one that we used to buy N50, she’ll seize it. Even if you did buy it, she would tell you to bury it under your shirt so no one would see it. I remember always going back and forth with her because of my finger rosary. She was always telling me to get the regular rosary, and I never listened.
I’m just trying to show you how much effort the school puts into trying to make the students blend in. And this helps because if you’re gonna stand out, it won’t be for something as empty as wearing fancy dresses and having the latest kicks. It’ll be for something actually important.
Of course, not all things can be controlled. You can’t control the school bag a student buys, and if they choose to own one that’s worth millions of naira, then good and fine. And then, the issue of allowance and books and gadgets. Even if the teachers don’t know, among themselves, the students will know those who have more spending money. And those who don’t.
One of our biggest surprises was usually seeing each other in normal clothes. Either during the holidays or in the evenings after school. Sometimes, it was like seeing them in a whole different light. Many times, that’s when you realize that the girl who’s always standing up to answer all the questions is actually a fine girl, or the guy who reads quietly by the corner of the class actually has more abs than you.
Our early school days were full of adventures and discoveries because everything was a new experience and that’s what made it so beautiful. Now that we’re in higher institution, I just crave for the old days. I don’t want to have to be wondering what I’ll wear every single day I have to go out to lecture, I don’t wanna have to wonder if I can afford the damn textbooks they make us buy and I sure as hell don’t wanna wonder if I’m up to date on the latest trends.
But then, it is what it is. Everything in life is a series of stages. We’ve passed that stage, we’re in this stage now. By the time I’m gone from this school, I’m sure there’ll be moments in time I’ll look back on with fondness although right now I just don’t know what it’ll be yet seeing how much shege the school is showing me. But then, that’s how it was in my primary and secondary school, right?
I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
