Dear Editor,
I was very disturbed to speak to a friend and hear that her son was suspended from a city school for not wearing a school tie. His reason for not wearing the tie was that he could not afford it. What really surprised me was the lack of compassion in dealing with this issue. Why in this day and age are children sent home for such a minor issue? Schools are supposed to provide a learning environment for children, not stress. Why was the child not asked why he was not wearing the tie or further ask the parent? The tie costs $1500 at this school. Some would say this is really not much, but the truth is, there are many out there struggling to make ends meet, especially single mothers. Global studies have shown the single mothers are the poorest of the poor and often many struggle to make ends meet. I am not against uniforms or guidelines, as I think they are needed, though I may be against ties for this hot tropical weather and also rigidity in relation to the colour of school shoes such as black, as in my day, although brown and white were also acceptable. I understand the Ministry of Education has a policy that no child should be turned away on account of school attire. I plead for school management teams to show more compassion when dealing with such situations. They just do not know what parents are dealing with in the home and such situations can push people over the edge.
I also understand that in some public institutions, male staff are being sent home for not wearing ties. The last time I checked we were listed as a tropical country with hot weather. We need to end mental slavery and allow people to dress for comfort at work once they are respectable.
Yours faithfully,
Raquel Thomas- Caesar
