Majority says school uniforms should remain mandatory – NIDA Poll

According to a new poll, a majority of Thai people think the student uniforms should remain mandatory in Thai schools, while others say casual outfits should also be allowed some days of the week. The latter opinion, which was part of the recently conducted National Institute of Development Administration Poll, was reportedly due to keeping the peace and easing tensions between students and education officials.

The NIDA poll was conducted on December 7 and 8, with 1,332 people, aged 15 and over, responding. Respondents were from all levels of education and employment. The poll focused on gathering opinions on school uniforms after the Bad Student protest group demanded students to do away with uniforms in an appeal to the strict rules that funnel through Thailand’s government schools.

Almost 70% of respondents said uniforms for students should remain mandatory, with 12% saying casual attire should be allowed some days of the week. About 7% say the decision should be up to the school’s administration and 5% say the decision should be made by the students.

Of those who think casual attire should be allowed on some days, almost 51% say 1 day a week would suffice, while 37% say 2 days a week, and almost 10% saying 3 days a week. When asked whether they support the Bad Student protests, almost 73% said no, citing the need for students to focus on their studies. 27% said they did support the movement, citing individual rights needing to be respected, while the rest had no answer or were not interested.

The Bad Student protest group has urged students to ditch their uniforms and wear their own clothes from the start of the new term. The movement posted an appeal on Twitter, calling on students to wear what they want.

“Finally, we can discard the obsolete uniforms and have the freedom to wear personal clothes. To all students, throw away those uniforms on December 1, and dress the way you prefer to go to school – #saygoodbyetouniforms.”

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

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