I thank the Minister of Higher Education Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin for responding to the statement calling upon varsities not to impose strict dress codes. Khaled Nordin said that the Ministry of Higher Education will not interfere because universities have been given the autonomy to decide on their own dress codes.
While I agree that universities have the autonomy to decide on matters related to campuses, I opine that the Ministry needs to send a few clear messages to universities:
- Respect and protect students’ freedom and autonomy, including their freedom to dress;
- To stop issuing fines to students based on strict dress codes.
Given Minister Khaled Nordin’s earlier pledge to give more freedom and autonomy to students in his New Year resolution, it is high time for the minister to make it clear that students should have the power to make decisions for themselves, including their choice of clothing. Restricting students’ freedom to dress and even issuing fines related to dress codes are clearly not in line with the Minister’s aspiration.
Apart from that, some ill-intentioned individuals tried to mislead the public by arguing that relaxing dress codes in universities will result in an “identity crisis” among students and universities. I would like to pose a few questions to them and sincerely hope to get their response:
- Most university students, if not all, are above 18 years old and can even cast their votes to choose their elected representatives and the government. Will they endure an “identity crisis” just because they are given the freedom to dress on campuses?
- Even Prime Minister Anwar, the cabinet, and Parliament have relaxed dress codes and are not required to wear neckties. Will the executive and legislative branches experience an “identity crisis” because their members do not wear neckties?
- Many companies are already relaxing their dress codes and embracing casual dress codes to create a more comfortable working environment and attract a more diverse pool of customers. Are the companies losing their identities and profits as a result?
According to the NST article, a few well-known student leaders, namely International Islamic University Malaysia Student Union president Muhammad Aliff Naif Mohd Fizam and Universiti Malaya Student Union president Ooi Guo Shen, agreed that more relaxed and inclusive dress codes in universities will give more space for students to express themselves and be creative. Instead, strict rules related to dress often make no sense and do not add any value to students’ academic performance and character as a whole.
Varsity students are the leaders of tomorrow. Therefore, I sincerely call upon universities to listen to students’ voices and respect student autonomy by taking one of the first and most meaningful steps— stop imposing strict dress codes on campuses. In the long term, it is important to improve and reform our higher education sector by guaranteeing student autonomy, so that we can have a large pool of competent varsity students who dare to think critically, question the status quo, and innovate for a better future.