I'm still researching the answer to this question. I'm at very slow connection at this time.

I am no pundit on legal issues of education, but I think there is no prohibition in prescribing uniforms to students in the Philippines. Thereby it is legal. I think the problem will arise when an institution prohibits wearing, e.g. a burka or veil, that conspicuously signifies religious affiliation, just like what happened in some schools in the UK and The Netherlands.

This is an interesting question especially for public schools. Private schools, I think, have the prerogative not only to prescribe uniforms but also to lawfully impose their beliefs among their students. Please do research on this Vincent.

I'm no pundit on legal issues on education too; I just like looking up pertinent rules on education.

Here are what I've found out so far:

DepEd Order No. 1, s. 2002, stated in paragraph 2:

Quote:2. For the same reasons [empowering the school principal], the principal/school head/administrator after consultation with the group heads, may prescribe the uniform of the school children. For boys, the pairs of pants shall be colored blue or khaki. For girls, an appropriate decent skirt or a similarly colored long pair of pants shall be selected. No specific textile shall be required.

The shirts/blouses shall have a common color and shall carry the appropriate identification of the school. T-shirts and/or cotton short-sleeved polo shirts or blouses with appropriate school identification shall be allowed.

As early as 2002 therefore, school t-shirts were already allowed. (Dang, I did not know this then. I could have worn just a school t-shirt back in high school.)

Last year, GMA ordered the scrapping of the school uniform in all public elementary and secondary schools, according to this PIA news release. I am not sure whether this was through an executive order (I'm still tracking down this EO) or through verbal instruction to Sec. Lapus. In any case, DepEd Order No. 45, s. 2008, issued June 2, 2008, stated:

Quote:To increase school participation of all school-aged children, it is important to remove any and all obstacles, particularly financial, to their enrolment in public schools. Accordingly, the President has ordered the following:

1. The wearing of a school uniform shall not be required in public schools
2. Identification (ID) cards shall be provided to students at no cost to them. The school administration shall fund these from their MOOE [Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses]

Students with existing uniforms may continue using these uniforms, if they so desire, in order to avoid incurring additional costs for new attire.

Therefore, in public schools, school uniforms may not be worn by students, as per instruction of DepEd. Even a t-shirt with the school identification should be enough.

Right after DepEd Order No. 45, s. 2008 was released, however, DepEd issued another order on June 10, 2008, providing "guidance on what constitues proper school attire."

The following principles were cited as guides:

1. A student's basic right to go to school, study and learn is of paramount importance and should be respected and promoted at all times.
2. A student's attire should reflect respect for the school as an institution for learning.
3. A student's attire should not become a cause for discrimination particularly for students belonging to a lower socio-economic status.
4. Promoting physical hygiene and proper shcool decorum is part of the teaching-learning process in schools, thus a student's attire and physical appearance should manifest learnings from this process.

Using the principles, the following were "suggested" as proper school attires in DepEd Order No. 46, s. 2008:

For Boys - Polo shirt/T-shirt with sleeves - any plain color, with a minimum of prints. Pants (long or short) - any color.
For Girls - Dress, skirt and blouse, blouse and pants - any color, any print. Footwear - any.

Again, students with existing uniforms were allowed to continue wearing them.

Additionally, students were discouraged from wearing expensive (signature or designer brands) or flashy clothes, tight-fitting pants/blouses/dresses, mini-skirts, short shorts, blouses with plunging necklines, hip-hop pants for boys, and sleepwear.

I have not seen any reference to school uniforms in private schools, but I suspect the school here would have the prerogative, in accordance with the principle of "reasonable supervision and regulation" of private schools (Sec. 4(1), Art. XIV, Consti).

It is a compulsory for students to impose uniforms in the schools.Because,though uniforms we create a unity among the all students.As well as we can focus on all the students without any up-down.And its also create a identity for the school.

DepEd Order 65, Series 2010 answers the question of uniforms as well as other issues about general guidelines for the opening of classes for the 2010-11
  Order 2010-65 Opening Guidelines.pdf (Size: 215.66 KB / Downloads: 3) school year:

http://www.deped.gov.ph/cpanel/uploads/i...202010.pdf

Please note Section III for DepEd's official position on uniforms.

Of course, my personal experience is that most DepEd schools openly ignore the provisions of these orders and, to be perfectly honest, it appears the national office does nothing meaningful to enforce the orders. I suspect there are well-meaning persons in the national office but the scale of the institutionalized bureaucracy at the local levels makes it nearly impossible for anyone at the national office to do anything about non-compliance.

offie999