When did Belarus mandate school uniform?
Gymnasiums and boarding schools in tsarist Russia had uniforms. Each new ruler changed the school dress code. The USSR abolished standardized dresses and suits. They returned to the idea of the standardized set in 1949. It was introduced gradually. They did not start with secondary schools but with vocational schools. However, everyone remembers blue suits for boys and brown dresses with an apron for girls. The uniform was quite strict and conservative. It emphasized the affiliation with the Soviet education system.
In the 1990s, the uniform was canceled. You could see students wearing stonewashed jeans, flared trousers, tack jackets of all stripes. Belarus started discussing the introduction of business-style school outfit. In 2005, the Education Ministry, the Trade Ministry and the Healthcare Ministry adopted a joint resolution. Parents were encouraged to buy business-style school outfits for their children. Gradually the country came to the decision to introduce mandatory school uniforms. This year, this requirement has been legislated in a new wording of the Education Code.
“General secondary education institutions have mandated school uniforms for boys and girls. Uniform essentials for boys include: a jacket, a shirt, a turtleneck. For girls: a dress, a skirt, a pinafore, and a blouse. In winter, a knitted sweater is allowed,” said Irina Bulavkina, a consultant with the General Secondary Education Department, Education Ministry of the Republic of Belarus.