Students at a private school, Bangkok Christian College, on Tuesday started wearing casual clothing to classes once a week, as the management experiments with its affect on their development.
Most students at the boys-only school cooperated, dressing in the style of their choice instead of regular uniforms, as the management recommended. The only restriction was a ban on loose or torn clothes.
Some students still opted to wear their uniforms, and there was at least one joker in the pack.
The pilot programme will run for six weeks.
School director Supakit Jitklongsap said former students and parents had split reactions to the no-uniforms policy, but it was only one day a week and only for the remainder of this term. If found to do more harm than good, it would not be continued, he said.
The management wanted to see if the added freedom made students happy, encouraged their sense of expression and improved their social skills.
He did not believe it would widen inequalities between students. Although they came from families with differing financial means, relations between most students were normal, the director said.
