MaP's Uniform

Does Maru-a-Pula Have A Proper School Uniform?

Botswana is a hot country. The old school blazer and tie don’t make sense in a climate like ours; they aren’t practical.
 
So, we have simple dress requirements: black trousers and white open-collared shirts. When our students step over the line, we ask them to change. 
 
We cherish the differences in our students: different faiths, different languages, different learning styles and yes, modest differences in their daily dress. 
 
Does this mean we have undisciplined students? Hardly.
 
We value discipline of a more enduring kind – namely, self-discipline. 
 
We expect our students to prepare fully, to sacrifice willingly and to commit themselves unstintingly: in the classroom, on the playing fields, on the stage and in the community we serve.
 
Some schools battle daily with students over the most petty aspects of their school uniforms; battling over what is and what is not permitted and exactly how the uniform should be worn.   It’s a timeless and time-wasting ritual. 
 
By contrast, MaP teachers try to keep a relentless focus on positive, productive reinforcement of what our students are doing right.
 
What if we accept the premise that -- beyond dress requirements and the expectation that clothing be neat, clean and appropriate -- it is actually desirable that students exercise a bit of discretion over what they wear every day?
 
As educators, we’re in the business of helping our students make suitable choices. Maru-a-Pula’s dress requirements – not uniforms -- give our students an opportunity to practice the art of making appropriate choices, of exercising self-discipline. 
 
We believe that students need to focus on learning, not on trying to look exactly like every other student.