School prefects say blazers blazing hot

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KELVIN has dreamt of becoming a school prefect since he was a little boy.

RIGHT ON: SMK Sacred Heart prefects giving the thumbs-up to a simpler prefect’s uniform.

To him, a school prefect is someone who wields strong influence and stands tall among other students.

A prefect not only commands respect from his schoolmates but plays a role in helping school authorities make things happen.

To be a prefect, some of the pre-requisites include being smart, organised, responsible, disciplined, independent and totally committed.

That’s why those selected to be prefects are usually among the school’s cream of the crop.

Now a fourth former, Kelvin’s dream of being selected prefect has come true.

His scope of duties include monitoring the activities of other students during recess and helping the traffic warden after school hours.

In school, Kelvin wears the school blazer and tie, both symbolising authority which separates him from other students.

That being said, Kelvin admitted he was not very comfortable wearing this uniform throughout school hours.

“It’s hot and uncomfortable. When the weather is humid, I get a headache,” he told thesundaypost.

Given a choice, he prefers taking the blazer off while in class or when on duty on a hot day but this is not permitted.

School regulations on uniforms clearly stipulate that prefects must wear a blazer and a tie throughout the schooling hours.

“Sometimes, especially on a scorching hot day, I feel like taking off the blazer.

Putting it on the whole day not only dampens my mood – it also gives me bad body odour,” Kelvin said.

Fifth former Ivy had no qualms about being a prefect at first.

“It was fun and carried a lot of clout. I liked it,” she said.

However, over time, she seemed to lose interest as she did not expect a prefect’s duties to be so monotonous.

Wearing a blazer and tie, furthermore, has caused many prefects like her to lose concentration in their studies.

She said: “The humid weather is making things difficult for prefects who are forced to put on a blazer even in extremely hot conditions. This is pushing them to the limit.”

Kelvin and Ivy are two prefects who feel “very uncomfortable” putting on a blazer and tie on hot days.

There are many others who are also against the practice – directly and indirectly.

Just how seriously it will affect the students physically and mentally remains to be seen.

Health issues

Advisor to Malaysia Medical Association Sibu sub-branch, Dr Hu Chang Hock concurs that wearing a blazer throughout a hot day not only causes prefects to lose concentration in class but can also give them rashes and ringworms from excessive sweating.

Though there is no scientific evidence yet to link the students mental state from wearing a blazer in high heat, Hu pointed out it was not advisable to put the attire on throughout the schooling hours.

“Prevention is better than cure and it will be too late if something unfortunate happens,” he cautioned.

These days, Hu noted, even doctors had toned down the importance of wearing blazers during working hours as very often, the practice is more obstructive than convenient.

“Wearing short-sleeved shirts is the preferred choice among doctors nowadays,” he said, adding that wearing a white blazer with tie or even long-sleeved shirts was a thing of the past.

However, Hu conceded that a lot depended on individual hospital rulings, noting that some could still be seen wearing the doctor’s uniform.

Use vest instead

Sacred Heart Old Students’ Association president Robert Lau Hui Yew said given a choice, the students should be allowed to swap the blazer for the vest.

“A vest or simply a tie is good enough,” he said, adding that a prefect is still a prefect even with only a tie on.

“There’s nothing to suggest a prefect will lose all their influence without putting on a blazer. No doubt, wearing a blazer looks smart but in a tropical climate like ours, it’s not very practical.”

He predicts the worst is yet to come because with global warming, there has been a drastic change in weather patterns.

“Since we have students complaining about wearing blazers, I believe remedies are necessary.”

Lau said it was important not to underestimate the seriousness of the problem even though it may appear minor on the surface.

“Problems will grow until their presence becomes obvious. No problem can be so unimportant that it should be ignored.”

Lau feels that putting on a blazer throughout the day can affect the students mentally.

“Though there is no scientific evidence to suggest this, there are already indications it might indirectly affect the students’ performance,” he said.

“Just imagine one moment, you are standing under the hot sun monitoring the traffic and the next, you are sitting inside a classroom with the blazer still on. It must be extremely uncomfortable.”

Lau recalled that during his time, prefects only put on ties.

“We were just as highly respected. It made no difference to our status whether we wore blazers or not.”

Told that many prefects were “feeling the heat” from wearing blazers in school, Lau promised to help look for a solution.

“If there is a better alternative, well, let us give it a try and if the pilot programme proves successful, it can be implemented in all schools.”

He promised to conduct a survey on the ‘blazer’ grouse by holding talks with the Education Department and principals.

Long-term effect

Hon chairman of SMK Tung Hua Parents Teachers Association (PIBG) Robert Tang also voiced concern over the long-term effect of wearing blazers when told about the problems encountered by the students.

He said he would consult the school principal, Ling Chai Ping, on the issue as soon as possible.

“This is not the first time the issue has cropped up. In fact, when I came across prefects wearing blazers and ties while monitoring the school traffic under the hot afternoon sun, I straightaway thought of how they were going to cope with the heat. It reminded me of students who have fainted in such a situation.”

Tang suggested changing the colour of the blazer to a lighter shade since it is compulsory for prefects to wear one these days.

Now, most schools are opting for thicker and stronger colours like dark green, deep blue, deep purple or red which could explain why prefects are feeling uncomfortable.

Tang also suggested the blazer should be of higher quality and made with thinner fabrics that are better suited to the local climate.

Grave concern

A secondary school principal expressed grave concern over the predicament of the prefects.

“Since day one, we have been empathising with them. We installed extra ceiling fans in the classrooms but with the scorching weather, it’s still not enough to solve the problem.”

The principal admitted that the soaring temperatures these days was putting prefects in an uncomfortable position with many ready to take off their blazers if given the opportunity.

However, he pointed out that it is still compulsory for prefects to wear blazers inside the classroom.

“Here, we are talking about uniformity. If one prefect wears a blazer while another just a tie, it may not give the prefectural board a good image.”

Despite the ruling, the principal said the school was “very accommodating” and as long as they were for the betterment of the students, all suggestions from the prefectural board would be considered.

“If the board could come up with something workable, fair enough, we might change the ruling, at least during the dry spell.”

He noted that weather had been exceptionally hot over the past months – so hot that it might even affect the students’ performances in both studies and co-curriculum activities.

Another principal was more straightforward, saying it was all about etiquette, manners and discipline.

“It gives prefects a sense of identity and uniformity apart from training them to be more responsible and better organised.”

She does not foresee any problems as the prefects basically wear blazers for only about 15 minutes during recess from 9.45am to 10 am and when they are on duty after recess.

“Other than these stipulated times, they are allowed to take off their blazers. Our school does not enforce the ruling that prefects must wear blazers at all times. So in this regard, I do not see any problems,” she said.