Students should be given more freedom in deciding school rules

The common complaint among students these days is the school rules are over restrictive, old fashion and not keeping pace with the changes around us, for example, why students cannot wear home clothes to school, why students must cut their hair when it reaches the collar line, etc. If there is a choice, we want more say in setting the school rules. On the contrary, I personally do not think it is not a good idea to give students too much freedom in setting the school rules. My reasons are simple.

Firstly, I think students up to high school level are still young and immature. Students in this age group like to go for fun stuff and do unconventional things. We have to admit that we do not think much about whether the changes will be practical and sound, also whether they will have any long term repercussions and the problems that may arise from the changes. We often think of our own needs more than the need to maintain a proper school image.

Just look at one simple example. If given a choice, many of us would vote to be allowed to wear home clothes to school. We think we know what is indecent but it is too subjective. Also, students will be comparing what they are wearing instead of focusing on their school work. Then, what will the public think of us when they see us all dolled up ?

I also do not think students in my age group will always do the right thing if we are given too much freedom. For example, in my primary school, we were not allowed to bring soccer balls to school. But my class managed to convinced my form teacher that we needed some relaxation before the PSLE and would only play for 20 minutes everyday. My form teacher finally relented but in end, we went beyond 20 minutes because it was too hard to stop in the middle of a game. If we can break such a simple promise, I really have my doubts that we will adhere to the rules that we make and to keep to all the promises that come with it.

In conclusion, I believe that the students lack the maturity and discipline to set their own school rules.