A Post Worth Reading

The article below was originally written by ME. It was published in The Star on my birthday. Happy reading!

Dress Code for undergrads?

I agree with the view expressed in the articles "Where is the freedom?" (StarEducation, Aug 6) and "Do away with impractical rules" (StarEducation, Aug 13). As a university student myself, I share the disappointment of the students who wrote in.

The emphasis on the dress code in university is too much. University students are supposed to be older and more responsible, and therefore, there should be less need for rules to ensure that we behave.

It seems odd that universities insist on dress codes. After all, if undergraduates are just one step away from full adulthood, why are we being treated like schoolchildren and subjected to constant regulations?

We all understand that undergrads need to dress neatly and appropriately, but that is all that needs to be said. To spell out, in detail, the way they must be dressed would be to put pressure on us.

All this makes me wonder about the priorities of university students - are we in university to study or to worry about dress codes?

Of course, discipline is part and parcel of university life but what is the point of being correctly dressed - by university rules and standards - if you do not have the discipline to complete assignments on time, or are unable to string a decent sentence and defend your ideas?

Speaking of which, lectures in universities are supposed to be conducted in English but most are still conducted in bahasa rojak. There are lecturers with masters degrees who cannot speak English well. Some claim to have graduated from universities overseas but we have to crack our brains trying to make out what they are trying to say.

When I asked a university official, during a dialogue session with undergraduates, about the usage of English in universities, he said that lectures are still conducted in Bahasa Malaysia as many students are unable to understand if lectures are held in English.

I even heard that some lecturers have asked international students to get out of the lecture hall if they want the lecturer to teach in English. Actions like this will obviously tarnish the image of the university as well as the country.

If you want mature adults to spring from our education system, the rules in universities should be appropriate. Only then can our undergrads grow up to become future leaders with the ability to see things in perspective.

Policies, rules and regulations should be revised if necessary, in keeping with the times. We should not always kept quiet and just go with the flow of things - after all, not bringing up an issue does not mean the problem is not there.

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Courtesy of The Star - StarEducation, Aug 27