The entire concept of school uniforms began in the 16th century when charity schools set out to support children who were either orphans, poor or deserted. As the educational system underwent changes through time, for example, in the areas of teaching and learning, so did technology imparts areas in the system. Fast forward a few centuries from the 1700s when the tradition of uniforms originated and technology has already permeated the education system to the level of school uniforms, a development that gave rise to the advent of smart school uniforms.
What is Smart School Uniforms?
Smart school clothes are specially designed school uniforms equipped with technological devices and/or features that enable them to perform remote sensing functions or other electronic-based functions.
As it appears that smart school uniforms have more or less come to stay, experts from custom thesis writing service examined its benefits as well as its drawbacks for the purpose of proper understanding, application, and use in the educational system.
Benefits of Smart School Uniforms
Smart uniforms have many advantages that make them embraced by many parents and kids. Some of these benefits include:
- Smart clothes provide real-time position monitoring – Smart school clothes are fitted with chips and/or microprocessors that enable the location/position of the school kids to be determined in real-time, if needed, to forestall or remedy instances of missed or skipped lectures, late arrival at school, or even cases of kidnappings, lost or missing children.
- Smart uniforms are more comfortable – School kids find smart school uniforms more comfortable to wear to a school than traditional school uniforms because of the extra dexterity in their design.
- Smart clothes are stain- and weather-proof – Smart school clothes are made from stain-proof and weather-proof materials offering protection to school kids from light rain, heavy rain, moisture, and stains. As a result, school kids are less exposed to the possibility of colds and other weather-related conditions.
- Smart clothes do not require ironing – Many of the smart school uniforms are produced from crush-resistant materials that eliminate the need for regular ironing. As a result, kids, or their parents need not devote time to ironing the uniforms, regardless of how crushed they may be, as they always look neat and tidy.
- Smart school outfits help maintain proper posture – Smart school outfits feature special elastic constructions sewn in-between the lining and the main material that help pupils maintain proper sitting and standing postures. For instance, when kids wearing such uniforms stand straight, they feel no discomfort, however, as soon as they stoop their shoulders, lean on one leg, or slouch, the tension of the elastic construction in the clothing makes them feel uncomfortable.
Drawbacks of Smart Uniforms
In spite of their benefits, smart outfits have some drawbacks. These are discussed below:
- Uniforms may result in dampening of kids’ moods – A kid walking around in academy knowing that there’s a good chance that their every move, action, or inaction is being watched may not be excited to do things they would otherwise have done while not under close monitoring or supervision. The fear of making mistakes or taking a wrong step may eventually paralyze the kid and make them feel helpless.
- Uniforms may raise trust issues – When school kids know that they are being watched or closely monitored either by their parents or teachers, they may interpret it to mean they are not trusted enough to make even the simplest and easiest decisions by themselves. They may interpret it as a show of lack of confidence in them by whoever is on the other side of the screen, a feeling they may be inclined to reciprocate directly or in some other way.
- Outfits and concerns about data leaks – Because of the real-time positioning that the smart school outfits can offer, there are some concerns relating to excessive exposure of the kids, particularly if the personal details of the kids or some other position/location data gets leaked out to, possibly, miscreants.
- Outfits and concerns about health risks – There are some concerns about the health risks associated with the use of smart uniforms by kids. Although manufacturers are quick to declare that the tools used in the making of chips and devices in the smart uniforms are non-toxic and non-radiating in nature, it still is a source of concern amongst certain parents.
Smart uniforms are wonderful resources with benefits, but they also come with attendant drawbacks.
