MDIS dress code crackdown

Did you read the letter written in to The Straits Times about how MDIS is being too anal about their dress code? Let me reproduce it in its entirety:

Ill-conceived: MDIS dress code crackdown
I REFER to yesterday's article about the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) enforcing dress codes in school ('Dress code crackdown at MDIS'), which is the most upsetting news in weeks.

One would have thought that, at tertiary level, superficiality would not be the focus of education, but rather, we would look at substance and quality of work. I cannot see how hair colour or shorts and slippers indicate a student's ability to do well in school. As a tertiary student myself, and in the Singapore climate, I find wearing singlets or shorts very comfortable.

To say it is distasteful is not saying anything as that is purely subjective. For example, one could wear a nice MNG basic singlet and Esprit shorts and look a million times better than the batik top and chequered print trousers I can imagine the discipline master or mistress might wear. I could say they are distasteful too, because it hurts my eyes to look at them.

One could demand that teachers do not commit 'distasteful' fashion faux pas as well.

Move away from superficiality, MDIS.

I have a few things to say, which would look better if I bother to organise it but I'm too lazy to:

1. "most upsetting news in weeks" - wtf, who are you kidding? Come on, so many other things in the news are so much more significant and upsetting. The presidential race, the economic crisis, the unemployment fears. I may sound a bit pretentious here but I sincerely think that calling MDIS' move "most upsetting" in "weeks" is pushing it.

2. Yes, I agree that attire has no bearing on one's quality of work. However, by retorting that comfort level is a justification for opposing MDIS' move is very weak. Yes, it may be comfortable, but is it presentable? The reason why MDIS opted to do this is so that its students will project a more wholesome image, right? What if I find it more comfortable to wear my pyjamas around? Does it justify my wearing it? Comfort has nothing to do with presentability.

Furthermore, the corporate world doesn't care about comfort. Indeed, it probably centres around making people as uncomfortable as possible. I am guessing that a student who bothers with tertiary education wishes to enter a corporate environment that requires skills beyond the technical. Wouldn't it be good training to learn how to project a decent image? It's best to make a clear demarcation between party wear and school wear, because people DON'T wear their clubbing outfits to work.

3. I support MDIS' move to impose stricter dress codes; however, I don't think this nips the problem in the bud. The problem is that students think that attire is merely superficial and have no impact on performance. Imposing dress codes is only a short term measure; it should be gradually instilled into students that appearing presentable and appropriate for the context is intrinsically desirable. However, MDIS is after all a private institution. There's little it can do in terms of instilling moral codes. I guess brute force is the only way to go about doing it. *shrugs*

4. The personal attack on the educators is low, very low. Them wearing outdated "batik" and "chequered print trousers" has nothing to do with the image that students project. Just because a "nice MNG basic singlet" and "Esprit shorts" look "a million times better" than batik and checks doesn't mean that it's more presentable. Besides, I hear tartan is in.

5. "move away from superficiality, MDIS" - Look. MDIS can go lax with their rules. But the corporate world does not and will not. Getting used to looking sloppy in school will only heighten the discomfort when it comes to transitioning to the working world. It all works out better in the long run. And please, talk about being superficial - who's the one commenting on their teacher's sartorial choices and implying that it is adequate justification for the doing away of the "upsetting" decision?

I think spending twelve years in uniform has led me to appreciate its merits. Although it may get warm and uncomfortable, I have become fond of it. It gives me a sense of identity. Not only do students tolerate their uniform, some of them are actually proud of the heritage they represent. And it's like a badge of honour for some. The ubiquitous tie, the eye-catching green, the factory worker-blue - they are instantly-recognisable symbols that have a great deal of connotations. (NJ's grey is supposed to be representative of our proletariat culture, or something.)

It is in coming to terms with the rationalisation for dress codes that helps one mature. It is not so much in the attire itself that changes mindsets, but in the understanding of why one needs to stick to a certain social code that is key to developing maturity. Sadly, that's something that this Teng Kie Zin person sorely lacks.

What this writer needs to do is:

1. Come up with more refreshing arguments for the abolishment of dress codes than the overdone excuses like "comfort" and "no impact on quality of work".
2. Develop some bloody perspective, for goodness' sake.