Dress Codes in Nigeria’s Tertiary Institutions
Dress Codes in Nigeria’s Tertiary Institutions
Dr. Engr. I. Samson Amoka
Chief Lecturer, Mineral Resources Engineering, Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna, Nigeria amokais@yahoo.com Introduction
Clothing is generally recognized as one of the essential human needs (others including food, shelter and security). Not too long after God created man and woman, human beings expressed the need to cover their nakedness (Genesis 3). Since then, dressing has played and still plays a very vital role in every culture and civilization.
The most obvious functions of dress include providing warmth and protection, identifying the wearer, and making the wearer appear more attractive. So important is dressing that every culture or community gives considerable attention to specify dress codes for its members to indicate the approved manner of dressing in that community.
It is widely said that the way you are dressed is the way you are addressed. This is particularly so in every Nigerian culture, where the type and manner of your dressing, especially in public, dictates the type and level of respect you get from the public.
Dress Code for Who?
A few people have misconceptions about the implementation of dress code in higher institutions. However, dress code is not strange or peculiar to any particular culture, gender, or religion. It is generally expected that in every civilized and decent society or community, different dresses are designed and worn to identify, distinguish or reflect different personalities, reasons, purposes, gender, age, occupation or profession, occasions or ceremonies. Thus, we are familiar with different dresses such as casual wear, house dress, night gown, morning dress, fancy wear, swimming suite, sports wear, party dress, laboratory/ workshop coats, seasonal dress, religious robes, etc.
A civilized community would therefore normally frown at or condemn a dress worn for a wrong occasion or reason. It is common, for instance, to hear people say that
Dr. Engr. I. Samson Amoka
Chief Lecturer, Mineral Resources Engineering, Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna, Nigeria amokais@yahoo.com Introduction
Clothing is generally recognized as one of the essential human needs (others including food, shelter and security). Not too long after God created man and woman, human beings expressed the need to cover their nakedness (Genesis 3). Since then, dressing has played and still plays a very vital role in every culture and civilization.
The most obvious functions of dress include providing warmth and protection, identifying the wearer, and making the wearer appear more attractive. So important is dressing that every culture or community gives considerable attention to specify dress codes for its members to indicate the approved manner of dressing in that community.
It is widely said that the way you are dressed is the way you are addressed. This is particularly so in every Nigerian culture, where the type and manner of your dressing, especially in public, dictates the type and level of respect you get from the public.
Dress Code for Who?
A few people have misconceptions about the implementation of dress code in higher institutions. However, dress code is not strange or peculiar to any particular culture, gender, or religion. It is generally expected that in every civilized and decent society or community, different dresses are designed and worn to identify, distinguish or reflect different personalities, reasons, purposes, gender, age, occupation or profession, occasions or ceremonies. Thus, we are familiar with different dresses such as casual wear, house dress, night gown, morning dress, fancy wear, swimming suite, sports wear, party dress, laboratory/ workshop coats, seasonal dress, religious robes, etc.
A civilized community would therefore normally frown at or condemn a dress worn for a wrong occasion or reason. It is common, for instance, to hear people say that