Money vs humility

"TIME to bring back 'humility'" (My View, Dec 13) is a timely and eye-opening piece.
Humility is a virtue that must be inculcated in early childhood through practice, and the practice followed through in the years of growing up into adults.
But the opposite is being done. It is pride and show-off-ness that is being inculcated, not just by parents who have the money but also by the very institutions that should be developing children into humble persons.
Look at what is happening in our schools. Right from primary level they are required to "dress up" properly. This means wearing long pants, long sleeves, ties, vests and even jackets. Such attire for school children in tropical climates is most unsuitable. In the 50's and 60's, it used to be short sleeves and short pants right up to Form five. Only in Form six did they wear long pants, but without ties and jackets.
How did the schools transform from teaching "humility" to teaching :stylishness" and pride that goes with it?
By requiring schoolchildren to dress excessively (or stylishly), there is a lot of money to be made by the people supplying the garments.
Religious people too have a hand in it with their rulings that all the "aurat" must be covered, even by children.
Then what about all those school functions with pomp and glory, with all the decorations and special dresses? They don't bespeak an iota of humility, but of pride.
So how do we "teach" humility? Moral and religious lessons might talk of the need for people to be "humble", but theories that don't translate into daily practice are useless.
If we want a society that is humble, there is only one way to do it, and that is to begin practising humility in our schools. Children's abilities to learn are not determined by the kind of clothes they are required to wear to school. Why do we have to imitate the school uniforms of the temperate countries?
The ultimate question is will all those who are harvesting the golden eggs from the supply of modern school uniforms and decoration materials for school functions give them up so that schools can inculcate the virtue of humility in children, all the way from year one to end of children's school life, by doing away the practice of pride and stylishness?
Ravinder Singh
Penang