PUTRAJAYA: Students will no longer be required to wear school uniforms throughout the week starting in March when the 2024/2025 academic year begins.
Instead, it will be two days of school uniform, two days of sportswear, and one day of co-curriculum attire, said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
More details will be provided in a circular that will be given to schools, she added.
She also said the decision was made after consulting with stakeholders, including parents, teachers and the community.
“Their views were significant in our decision to continue the use of school uniforms,” she said.
The move came about following the ministry’s previous announcement that students and teachers could wear their sports attire due to the hot weather, she said during a New Year address to ministry staff members yesterday.
There had also been exemptions given in the past for students whose uniforms were destroyed during floods.
For instance, students affected by the Johor floods in March of last year received a two-month exemption from wearing uniforms.
Earlier this month, pupils in Terengganu affected by the floods in the state could wear normal attire to classes.
Overall, it’s an “aye” from parents to the ministry’s latest directive on school attire, as they feel that it would be more comfortable for their children, besides easing their financial burden.
“If my son only has to wear his school uniform twice a week, that means I need to buy just one new set for him, as opposed to three pairs that I buy for him every year,” said real estate agent Sammy Chong, 33.
The new ruling also means that there would be less preparation needed for her son’s school uniform.
“I don’t have to iron his school uniforms that much anymore,” she said.
A corporate communications executive, who only wanted to be known as Yee, said she is open to the idea of changing the dress code for her daughter, who is in primary school.
“I am quite flexible about the school uniform arrangement,” said Yee, 36.
Norliana Ahmad, the mother of three school-aged children, said sports attire is more comfortable for these youngsters.
“It also allows parents more time to do laundry and prepare the uniform for the next school day.
“That means only two pairs are needed a week. It is a good idea,” said Norliana, 42.
In JOHOR BARU, advertising executive Tan Huey Qi, whose daughter is starting Year Two in March, said: “She feels more comfortable in sports attire compared to her pinafore, which has double layers.”
As such, Tan said she supports the announcement as her daughter prefers putting on sportswear to school.
“In May last year, the ministry allowed students to wear sports attire to classes because of the hot spell. My daughter’s school allowed them to continue doing so even when the weather improved.”
Furthermore, she felt that it is safer for her girl to wear pants to school as she is an active child.
“She loves running around and since she is still young, she might not prioritise her modesty as much. As a mother, I think it is better for her to wear pants to school,” said Tan, 34.
Another mother, Masturah Suradi, 35, said the latest instruction about school attire would mean that she could save much time from having to iron her daughter’s school uniform.
“It is also troublesome to wash her white tops to avoid staining them. With sportswear, I can just put them all in the washing machine,” said the freelancer from Kota Tinggi.
Marketing manager Ahmad Fahmy Fahd Abdullah, 35, is also in favour of the ministry’s decision to reduce the number of uniform-wearing days for students.
“I think the 2-2-1 formula helps us to manage our time better since my wife and I are both working parents.
“We can also save money on our son’s school uniforms. We used to have to buy three sets every school term as ‘standby’ in case of wear and tear,” said the father of two.
