A traditionally conservative and royally-connected Thai university has exhibited some progress after its Faculty of Arts eased uniform regulations in response to an online campaign.

 

The Faculty of Arts of the most conservative university in Thailand has decided to stop enforcing the wearing of uniforms. 

 

Last week, a group of anonymous students from Chulalongkorn University (CU) initiated a campaign on Change.org, urging the university to stop forcing students to wear uniforms. The reasons it gives are that the punishment is excessive and that wearing uniforms has no effect on academic performance. The campaign has gone viral and collected over 1,500 signatories at press time.

 

On 20 January, the campaigners updated that the Faculty of Arts has decided to abolish compulsory uniforms.

 

A source from the Faculty who asked not to be named confirmed that faculty members have been told to ease the uniform rules due to the pressure from this campaign, but it was just a verbal notice to the faculty staff, not an official order.

 

“The faculty executives are asking for restraint in all measures [on the uniform],” said the source. “But they didn’t confirm that they will be abolished. All information is verbal.” 

 

CU is the oldest university in Thailand with royal roots and still maintains a close connection with the royal institution. CU claims that its uniform is prestigious because it was bestowed upon CU students by King Rama V, the university’s founder. The CU uniform is also a model for other universities in Thailand. 

 

In an interview with Prachatai, the campaigners stated that they want to extend their movement to cover other universities in the future.