Students of the Niger Delta University (NDU) in Bayelsa State have protested a new policy which requires them to wear uniforms as a means of identification to promote decent dressing, especially among female students. This, however, has culminated in the indefinite shutdown of the institution by authorities before it was re-opened on July 12, after a meeting where the decision was reversed. Is the introduction of uniforms the solution to indecent dressing in varsities across the country? FORTUNE AMAECHI (ABSU) and FADEYI ELIZABETH (MAPOLY) report.
Indecent dressing remains a challenge in universities across the country. Observers believe that it has also contributed to inappropriate relationship between lecturers and female students.
Nevertheless, recently, students of the Niger Delta University(NDU), Amassoma, Bayelsa State, staged a peaceful protest against plans by authorities in the institution to introduce uniforms to curb indecent dressing, especially among female students on campus.
After a meeting with stakeholders, school authorities dropped the plan and academic activities resumed.
But, going forward, beyond the introduction of school uniforms, students of tertiary institutions, who described the plan as laughable, want institutions to strictly enforce dress codes on campus and introduce laws that prohibit indecent dressing.
For Kudirat Azeezat, an HND 2 Business Administration student of Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Ogun State, introducing school uniforms in higher institutions is not the way out of indecent dressing. According to her, stricter punitive measures should be in place in schools.
” Authorities in tertiary institutions should be able to curb indecent dressing. That’s why security personnel are always at the main entrance of institutions. They are to check students before allowing them to enter and if anyone dresses indecently, such student should not be granted entry into the school.
“Thorough checks should also be done to ensure students coming to school with their cars are properly dressed.
“Then students who are indecently dressed should be severely punished. When other students are aware of such punishment, they would stop,” she said.
Felix David, a 300-Level Mass Communication student of University of Ibadan, said: “Instead of school uniforms, management should take the departmental dress codes seriously now. Each department is supposed to have a dress code, therefore, any student caught flouting the code should not be allowed to receive lectures and write examinations.”
Also, Moyinoluwa Ademefun, a 400-Level student of University of Lagos(UNILAG), said introducing uniforms in tertiary institutions was not a panacea to indecent dressing. She described it as “primitive”.
“Introducing school uniforms to higher institutions is primitive. Dressing indecently on campus is offensive and by this, who ever is found guilty of such should be made to face the law. Any student found doing such an act should be punished greatly. This will serve as a lesson to others and it will definitely reduce the rate of indecent dressing,” she said.
Ajagungbade Oluwaseyi, a 200-Level student of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ogun State, said: “When institutions are too lenient, the rate of indecent dressing would be high. Every school battles with indecent dressing among students, but I don’t think it should result into making them wear school uniforms. There are other ways to deal with this. The students should all be informed of the consequences of not adhering to the school rules concerning indecent dressing and any student found dressing anyhow should either be suspended or made to face the school’s disciplinary panel.”
Oyekunle Emmanuel, a 100-Level student of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, said: ” Rather than introducing uniforms like secondary style, students who are shabbily dressed should be sent back home right from the school gate. How would students who dress anyhow enter the school without getting noticed by any security officer?
“Even though you stay in the school hostel, there is no how you walk around and you won’t be noticed by authorities. I suggest that a panel should be created separately to look in to this matter. Any student found dressing anyhow, either in the class by the lecturer should be handed over to the school security officers for necessary punishment,” he said.
Ayinla Sodik, an HND 1 Kwara Polytechnic student, wants authorities to seize personal belongings of students and send them home to dress properly.
He said:” Officials should seize the student’s personal belongings and ensure they go back home and dress decently and then come back to school. In that way, they would all sit up
“Then, what is the work of the security personnel at the school entrance, aren’t they supposed to check and send back any one indecently dressed? The management should make it a law that whosoever is caught dressing provocatively won’t be allowed to enter the school premises.”
For Adewole Tolu, a 300-Level Economics student of University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), students should be made to stick to the departmental dress codes because, according to her, that would curb indecent dressing.
“The departmental dress code should be enforced. It would reduce the rate of indecent dressing among students. Failure to comply with the dress code should also attract punishment. Indecent dressing can’t be curbed by asking students to start wearing school uniforms. It would only make things odd,” she said.
Ifedolapo Babafemi a student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, said: “It is not about making the rules but the real task is implementation. For these rules to be enforced, lecturers should be made to collaborate with the university management and the security personnel
“Lecturers should prevent indecently- dressed students from attending their lectures and refuse to attend to such students. The administrative staff should also disallow such students from their offices while the security staff should serve as watchdogs. They should be allowed to open a record in their office for immodestly dressed students and forward such names particularly those who are not first offenders to the disciplinary committee of the college or university for appropriate sanction that the code must have spelt out. The plan of designing school uniform for grown up students is way out of it.”
Omoniyi Adewale , an ND2 Marketing student of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, said all departments in schools should have a dress code.
His words: “The departmental dress code will actually go a long way instead of the proposed school uniform. Each department should have a dress code, hence, the management should ensure each department makes the dress code compulsory. If you don’t comply, you won’t be allowed to receive lecture and no one will attend to you at the department.”
Abosede Owolabi, a 400-Level Law student of University of Ibadan (UI) said: “Telling students in higher institutions to start wearing school uniform looks weird to me. Why would you not be able to give out instructions to those whom you have admitted?
“The school management should send out memos through the Deans of Faculties or HODs of each department stating clearly how it’s prohibited to wear indecent and provocative apparels on campus. For erring students, the penalty should also be stated. The management should then ensure they take it very seriously. Any student caught dressing anyhow should be punished, the rest would adjust once they see it is war against indecent dressing.”
On the flipside, Michael Uzoma, a 200-Level Economics student of Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, supports the idea of uniforms for students if that would stem the tide of provocative dressing on campus.
“I support this idea because the rate of indecent dressing is becoming alarming and something needs to be done. The question is even if the VC did not propose this can’t we just dress modestly? We youths are the ones to make our country better not people from other lands. Even if we have to be forced to do it, then we should,” he said.
Similarly, David Ogbaki, a Food Technology student of Auchi Polytechnic, said: “Well, I don’t have any issue with the school uniform plan if it would curb indecent dressing. Students should start dressing well for the good of the country at large.”
On her part, Favour Samuel, a 200-Level Chemical Engineering student of University of Uyo (UNIUYO), universities should checkmate indecent dressing because students want to enjoy unlimited freedom and, as such, feel they can wear whatever they like to school.
Her words: “I feel it’s okay for a university to curb indecent dressing because these days students feel they can wear what they want to the school which is very wrong. The university is not only there to teach academics but also teach morals, so I feel what they are doing is right. Thus, we should imbibe the culture of decent dressing on our campuses.”
Chisom Steve, a 300-Level student of Abia State University (ABSU), said: “I feel the uniform idea is okay because it gives schools a unique view in the sense that it increases the good reputation of the school and makes students think highly of the school. It will also curb the way students, especially the ladies, dress.”
Edima Samuel, a 200-Level Medical Biochemistry student of UNIUYO, noted that there were other measures to address indecent dressing.
“Well, if it is to curb indecent dressing, then there are other measures to do that instead of setting guidelines on how a student should dress. It is not appropriate for a tertiary institution to introduce uniforms.”
Agape Blessed, an Electrical Engineering student of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), said: “I laughed when I saw this at first because these are not students you treat as children, what of the ones that are elderly or that are doing a second degree, what do they do? Are the elderly people meant to wear the uniforms or are they exempted because you can’t tell me now that, for instance, my mother will be wearing school uniforms because of indecent dressing?”
Another student of ABSU, Ikechukwu Green, said apart from introducing school uniforms, students should be properly sensitised and encouraged to dress properly, even beyond the campus.
” The idea of school uniform is not bad, but not every department should be mandated to wear it. Universities should rather sensitise and encourage students to dress decently,” he said.
