However, looking at the school-and-college-going boys and girls in Kathmandu today, it is apparent that students are crossing the boundaries of what it means to wear a prescribed uniform.
While the concept may have been implemented with an aim to keep fashion outside of school and college compounds, it seems that students today are finding some ways to project their own individual styles, their personalities and at times, their material wealth.
The skirts are worn shorter than ever, the guy´s collars are kept up, and today´s uniforms have begun to be identified with how well they can accessorize an otherwise boring outfit.
Influenced by films and TV dramas kidss school uniforms are done up and turned into fashions. Students in Kathmandu seem to be making it sure that their uniforms are well-suited to their styles.
Ajashra Dhungana, a seventeen-year-old boy from Orient College says, "In a poor country like Nepal uniforms are necessary to make sure the poorer kids don´t feel left out and are not bullied."
In terms of uniforms turning into styles he says, "It´s not a good thing. Once you bring style to something like a uniform, it no longer brings uniformity."
It´s shocking to see the extent to which these uniforms are modified to make youngsters more stylish in Kathmandu.
"When we were at school, our skirts were long and we used to have ribbon bows on our hair. Fashion was an alien concept to us. Seeing these girls, particularly wearing short skirts with slits on them, makes me wonder what kind of values they are internalizing," says Gita Sapkota, a teacher at a government school in Tangal, Kathmandu.
Talking to the youth, it has become apparent that uniforms are an aspect that they keep in mind while choosing schools. They don´t want to wear boring colors and styles. So, it seems that the more lenient the school is in terms of their uniform styles, especially in college, the more students the institution is likely to attract.
Prekshya Basnet, a seventeen-year-old A-level student from Orient College believes that a misconception about the purpose and need for uniforms has swept the valley.
"It´s not the weakness of school-and-college rules that has given the students the guts to enter the educational institutions in such disordered uniforms. Rather they want to gain popularity through their uniform. The respect for what it means to wear a uniform is slowly diminishing," says Basnet.
According to Basnet, uniforms have become a means for gaining popularity and luring other students. Students are trying hard to show off their peers their most stylish outfits. And the educational institutions are turning their blind eyes as they are more concerned about their income than the negative impact on the society.
Similarly, Sharmila Bhatta, another A-level student opines that it´s the media and advertisements that encourage such exposure for girls. Instead of wearing "simple and smart" uniforms, girls are now revealing more of their flesh.
"Schools have, because of the way in which uniforms are worn, become more of glamorous parlors and less of educational institutions," says Bhatta.
She suggests that parents should see to it that their kids are properly dressed for school and college.
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