THE sweltering climate has prompted some schools here to allow students to swop their standard uniform tops for approved T-shirts on some days of a week until the heat abates.
Last Thursday, the lower secondary students of Chinese High received an e-mail message informing them that they could go to school this whole week in T-shirts except on Friday, reported Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News.
They are likely to be able to do so also for next week as the e-mail message indicated that temperature had been forecast to hit 36 deg C for at least a fortnight, according to Shin Min.
Confirming the move, a spokesman for Chinese High told Shin Min that T-shirts would make students feel more comfortable in their classrooms, which are not air-conditioned.
The school is also considering whether to extend the move to the upper secondary, said the spokesman.
However, the school emphasised that laxer attire rule does not mean any T-shirt would do, as there are guidelines to observe.
Cynthia Tan, a department head of Nanyang Junior College, revealed that students in her institution had already for some time been allowed to come to school in “informal” wear except every Wednesday.
The “informal wear” include physical education attire, the school’s official polo shirt and T-shirts for the different classes and co-curricular groups, added Ms Tan.
According to family doctor Mark Low, cotton T-shirts feel cooler compared to school uniforms, which are generally made from a mix of cotton and polyester.
“During hot weather, cotton T-shirt is a good loose-fitting wear as it helps the skin absorb moisture and transfers heat away from the body,” the doctor told Shin Min.
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