Former Chancellor of Maldives National University Dr Hassan Hameed has stated that school uniforms should be designed to suit the Maldives' climate, adding that forcing students to wear coats, vests and ties are oppressive.
The Ministry of Education has announced changes to school uniforms from the 2027 academic year onwards. Under the new policy, the uniform shirts have to be light blue, white, dark green or red. The trousers, skirts or shorts of official uniforms have to be black or dark blue.
As per the policy, students in Key Stages 3 and 4 must wear ties only if required by the school. However, wearing ties are compulsory for students in Key Stage 5. The ties must also bear the school badge.
Dr Hameed expressed concern about this in his blog, where he said that the biggest development that has been seen in the education sector in the past couple of years was to school uniforms.
Dr Hameed pointed out Maldives' hot and humid climate, stressing that school uniforms must be designed taking this into account.
"Wearing stifling neckties, vests and coats over shirts, these are things done in colder climates across the world," he wrote, emphasizing that the objective of mandating uniforms is to minimize discrimination and difference amongst students and to demonstrate equality.
According to Dr Hameed, mandating the wearing of ties contradicts the spirit of the uniform policy itself. As per the regulations, changes are being brought to the uniform to facilitate easier movement and comfort. This, he said, is undermined when students have to 'hang a rainbow runner (a fish locally called 'maaniyaa mas') around their necks'.
Another purpose of the new uniform is to bring down costs and promote accessibility. However, having to wear ties, especially those with the school badge on them, increases costs rather than minimizing it, he says.
He also tackled the issue in a religious perspective, saying there should be a distinction between uniforms for girls and boys. He believes it is wrong to require girls to wear similar ties to boys, and recommended opting for a tie design similar to that used by girls in Japan and such countries.
Dr Hameed then pointed out that under this same principle, it is not advisable for girls and boys to wear similar uniform shirts.
He went on to say that only few amongst students who complete schooling in Maldivian schools go on to work in jobs that require them to wear ties. Wearing ties cause excessive sweating, distracting students from lessons and raising costs by requiring the installation of air conditioning units, he said.
Further, children grow at a very fast rate, he said, with parents often required to change uniforms two or three times within a year. Uniforms must be priced at a rate affordable to even parents with the most basic income to be able to change uniforms every three months, according to Dr. Hameed.
He then went on to comment about the historical relevance of uniforms in schools such as Aminiya School, which have been in effect now for 81 years. He said that this uniform design is close to the hearts of many former students and appealed for it to be made exempt from the new uniform policy.
In the circular earlier sent to schools, the ministry said that the uniform policy has been changed after extensive consultation with school leaders. They said that the changes had been brought due to high demand from schools and parents. The ministry further maintains that this new uniform policy will bring down uniform costs and halt the current monopolization of the industry.
