WHEN the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) enforced a dress code for its students two months ago, it led to an uproar among the students.
Much as I would like to say I support such a rule, I found, unfortunately, that I was more inclined towards indignation.
Why? Because having graduated not long ago, I was one of those students who dressed casually.
Shorts, micro-skirts, tank-tops - I wore them all.
I understand the conservatives who protest that a tertiary institution deserves respect, and that dressing appropriately on the premises is required.
But I take offence when people say that wearing shorts and tank-tops is akin to prostitution.
The dress code prompted a Stomp contributor to comment:
"You go (to school) to get an education, not to prostitute yourself."
I believe Singapore has not come to the point where having long hair and wearing a tank-top constitutes prostitution.
Besides, isn't a tertiary institution one which promotes independence, creativity and exploration?
My university years were among the best times of my life - well, partly because I did not have to wake up early.
Rouse me from bed before 7am and I turn into an emotionally- unstable grouch.
More importantly, it marked for me my first tentative steps as an adult.
I was happy because of the freedom that I was enjoying for the first time.
To me, university is a time when you break away from the constraints of secondary school and junior college, with their rigid class schedules and uniforms.
It is also the period where you are taught to stand on your own feet; where there is freedom to choose your modules, freedom to study when you want to, freedom to go as you will, freedom to think beyond things that are taken for granted, and freedom to dream.
And, of course, freedom to dress as you like.
During this time, you get to learn discipline as well as manage your time and life in a way that works for you.
We will wear more solemn - and appropriate - clothes for the next 40 years, so do we really have to start so young?
Only in a comfortable and non-restrictive environment can we learn how to express ourselves and build our own identity.
When you bind students to an unforgiving dress code, it is somewhat incongruous with the vision universities have of nurturing creativity and critical thinking in their students.
My take on the matter?
Give tertiary students a break. Allow them to enjoy this period of their life, and let them grow up at their own pace.
Because, trust me, they will in due time.
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