On this page:
- List of schools
- Poland school uniforms in the past
- Why was there an obligation to wear uniforms in Poland?
- Does the uniform fulfill its role in present times?
- The advantages of uniforms
After a few years, compulsory uniforms were abolished in most schools, and only a few schools in Poland decided to keep this tradition. School uniforms are mandatory in some private schools, including social, boarding, Catholic, and Montessori schools. That said, while some schools don’t pay attention to whether students wear uniforms, in others, they can’t enter without one.
Poland school uniforms in the past
The school uniform, both among parents and children themselves, is still very controversial today in Poland. However, looking at old photographs from the school years of our parents or grandparents with nostalgia and admiration, we look at the children dressed in school uniforms. Girls in skirts and navy blue blouses with a white collar or in sailor jackets, and boys in suits or pants and sweatshirts.
Often, the youth also wore identical hats. These outfits were assigned to a particular school and constituted an element of recognition. In a sense, it was a showcase of a school and an advertisement containing information about which school a child attends. For many schools, uniforms have become a tradition, an object of pride for students and parents of belonging to a school.
The crisis in Poland in the 1970s and 1980s brought with them unsightly materials such as "lining" and "synthetic fibers.” This brought more and more opposition to children's uniforms and dislike among children and parents—the hated and unpopular school uniforms.
They ceased to be distinguishing features of the school. In the 1990s, uniforms had all but disappeared from Poland, there was freedom of dress for students. In those years, for example, in Poznań, only the Ursulines proudly wore their sailor jackets.
Why was there an obligation to wear uniforms in Poland?
Introduced on the day the law was introduced in Poland in 2007, the obligation to wear uniforms in primary and junior high schools flared up in the media, on parents' forums and in school. It began to influence complaints to the Human Rights Defender, for help in protecting the freedoms and rights of students and parents violated by public authorities. The main argument is that the uniforms deprive the child of individuality.
Considering the pros and cons, the spokesperson said that the introduction of the rule to wear uniform attire is a constitutionally justified constraint, especially since its aim is to carry out an educational mission, despite its difficulty to implement in a situation of aggravated discipline crisis and increased aggression among students. In short, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
Many parents see the benefits of wearing uniforms. It positively influences the leveling of visible material differences in the school clothes and helps to eliminate undesirable visitors to schools, e.g., drug dealers.
Does the uniform fulfill its role in present times?
What is the obligation to wear uniforms? In practice, the Act gives directors freedom to introduce this duty in their schools. Parents make their own decisions through discussions and referenda.
Psychologists joined the discussion on the basis of a series of studies that the uniform did not help to eliminate the drug problem at school, that it did not affect the increase attendance or improvement in children's learning outcomes. However, the uniform can inhibit the development of the child's individuality, which is created during puberty. Where it’s necessary for a child to confront their image, test their boundaries, and distinguish themselves from their peers.
The advantages of uniforms
Identifying with the same dressed peers helps you feel a part of your school. The uniform is also a challenge for individualists, forcing them to stand out in other fields, not necessarily in the selection of clothing.
In summary, school uniforms can now be found in various types of schools across Poland, mainly in private schools; however, this isn’t a popular solution, and there are no uniforms in most schools in Poland.
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