State regulation of school uniform quality in Ukraine

Goal. The goal of the scientific work is to determine the state of mandatory wearing of school uniforms in modern institutions of primary and secondary general education of Ukraine (lyceums, gymnasiums, etc.), as well as the analytical study of statutory instruments regulating requirements for quality, hygiene, and safety of the garments of school uniform range. Methods. The study implied a detailed analysis of the scientific literature and technical sources of information, i.e. current statutory instruments, which provide a list of requirements for the quality of school uniform, using information resources and search engines on the Internet. Results. The paper presents an analytical evaluation of the current regulatory documentation in Ukraine on the control and assessment of conformity of uniforms and other types of clothing for girls and boys of school age. The analysis of the practical experience of using school uniforms in primary and complete general secondary education institutions of Ukraine was carried out, and its advantages and disadvantages were determined. It was found that the main disadvantages of wearing school uniform are depriving students of individual style, equalizing everyone, inconvenience, and its economic inexpediency due to the need for frequent washing. The main advantages of the uniform are that it disciplines, habituates children to business style from school age, does not distract from learning, allows avoiding focusing on the wealth of parents, as well as forms the unity and team spirit within a particular institution of primary or complete general secondary education. Based on the analysis, the paper proves the need to create targeted regulations on the general requirements for quality of school uniforms, due to their absence, as a significant number of primary and complete general secondary education institutions introduced the wearing of certain uniforms as the main clothing for school children. Scientific novelty. The scientific work examines the statutory instruments of Ukraine regulating the hygiene, safety and conformity assessment of uniforms of schoolchildren in modern institutions of primary and complete general secondary education in our country. The main requirements of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine for compliance with medical standards and safety rules for school uniforms according to Order No 1138 dated 29.12.2012  "On approval of State sanitary norms and rules  "Textile, leather and fur materials and products. Basic hygienic requirements".  Practical significance. The results of research and analytical evaluation of state regulation of safety and quality of school uniforms can be used in the development of targeted technical documentation. Outlining the list of basic quality characteristics will help parents to buy not only comfortable but also safe school uniforms, administrations of primary and secondary schools - to consciously develop comprehensive requirements for the appearance of the student in the approval of uniforms, and  producers - to comply with the rules and regulations in developing school uniform manufacturing technologies.

state regulation; school uniform; quality requirements; statutory instruments