Traditional school uniforms could be due for a rethink as Caribbean children face extreme heat, National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) Director Princess Khodra says.
A slight change or modification to uniform policy could give students some relief without the cost of air-conditioning schools, she suggested.
Khodra, a former educator, made the suggestion during discussions surrounding the launch of a new UNICEF-commissioned climate study.
“I think something that stops us as a region is our reliance on being traditional in how we think,” Khodra said. “And that thinking is keeping us from driving some of that data into policy, into action, even without the finance.”
She pointed to school uniforms as a simple example of how governments could respond to changing conditions.
“Traditionally in the Caribbean, students wear uniforms to school. Some of those uniforms reflect traditional values,” she said, referring to items such as overalls, black shoes, black socks and ties.
She said that amid the current heat, she had seen schools in the Caribbean, though not in Saint Lucia, issue guidelines insisting that students adhere to requirements including black shoes and socks and wearing ties.
“A simple revision on a governmental level of uniform policy can help to translate data into a tangible action that immediately impacts a child because it costs money to air-condition schools,” Khodra said.
“Just a slight change or modification of the uniform may be an action that is tangible and beneficial to a child without the impact of excessive funding.”
The suggestion comes as some schools are already making changes to help students cope with high temperatures.
Saint Mary’s College is allowing students to leave classes for water when needed, while some teachers have been holding classes under trees. At Aux Lyons Combined School, a teacher established a “hydration corner”, while Ave Maria Girls’ Primary has introduced additional water breaks and sometimes shortened physical education sessions.
Uniforms are also already part of the conversation. Saint Mary’s College Principal Neal Fontenelle said lighter uniforms could be considered if the heat persists, while Ave Maria Girls’ Primary Principal Valerie St Helene-Henry pointed to lightweight, breathable fabrics and lighter colours as possible options.
A shift towards heat-conscious school uniforms has already begun elsewhere in the region.
In Barbados, first-form students at Princess Margaret Secondary School started the new academic year in a redesigned uniform which Education Transformation Minister Chad Blackman described as “fit for purpose in a hot climate”. The change came as education authorities considered measures to protect students amid temperatures reaching up to 33 degrees Celsius.
Students subsequently told Barbados TODAY that they found the new uniform comfortable, while one parent welcomed its lighter material as temperatures rise.
The concerns raised by Khodra were also reflected during a UNICEF media workshop following the climate study launch.
In a presentation examining child protection before, during and after emergencies, UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Area Social and Behaviour Change Specialist Dr Lisa McClean-Trotman identified restrictive clothing among several issues affecting children during drought and excessive heat.
She also pointed to poorly ventilated classrooms, school closures caused by water outages and games periods being held during peak daytime heat.
Other concerns included dehydration, which can affect learning, heat stress and an increased risk of water-borne illness where insufficient water is available for handwashing.
Khodra noted that adapting to such conditions does not always have to begin with costly interventions.
“We also have to be creative in how we think and in how we apply that data and translate it into policy that can affect action,” she said. “Because we know we’re not rich. But we are creative.”
