Thousands of students are protesting on Monday, dressed in black, against the mandatory uniform bill

Thousands of students in Romania are taking part in a nationwide protest against the bill that provides for the introduction of mandatory uniforms in state schools. The action is organized by the National Student Council, and participants are encouraged to attend classes dressed in black as a symbolic form of opposition to uniformity.

The bill provides that students in state pre-university educational institutions must wear school uniforms. The initiative was adopted by the Senate and is to be debated by the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body. At present, mandatory uniforms are not an existing rule.

The Bucharest and Ilfov Students’ Association is challenging the bill and maintains that representative organizations were not sufficiently consulted. The initiators argue that uniforms could help combat bullying and discrimination, but the association believes that the measure does not address the real causes of these phenomena.