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To answer this question, we first need to understand the relevance of the uniform. When you go to school, you interact with children from many different economic backgrounds, religions, races etc.
Hence, the situation in every child's house is different. Wearing a uniform ensures that this difference does not easily come through from one's clothes. This ensures that no child gets bullied for their race or economic class, etc. Hence I do believe that uniforms should be made mandatory in all schools.
Alternative Arguments
There is a common argument that forcing students to wear a uniform kills their sense of individuality and that clothes are a way to express themselves. Hence, forcing children to wear a uniform is a way to stifle their expression.
While I agree that clothing and fashion are a form of expression, creating conditions to prevent discrimination is more important. You have to weigh the two evils and take a call in such a situation.
An alternative solution to this is that as a uniform, instead of specifying exactly which clothes children are to wear, give them a specific set of guidelines, such as every child is to wear a blue T-shirt with black pants. This will allow for the child's creativity to still be implemented in the form of choice, as they decide what kind of T-shirt they pick and what accessories they choose to wear.
This will also maintain some sense of uniformity. An argument could be made that there is no requirement for a uniform in schools where all students are from a certain economic class.
However, it is noticed that even in those schools, students get bullied based on their clothes and appearance. The reason is not related to one's economic background alone. It is important to understand that in school, children's maturity level is not similar to the kind of maturity level they have when they step into college.
In college, children can be allowed to wear whatever clothes they want because most of them are expected to have reached a point where they can properly differentiate between right and wrong.
However, in school, specifically in the case of teenagers, their actions are governed by the desire to be cool and popular. At this time, they are going through so many physiological changes that they can be quite vicious.
When bullying occurs, it is mostly due to children working through their own demons and traumas and taking it out on a different child. In that situation, being extremely careful of how children present themselves to each other is very important.
Exception
The only exception to this situation is certain modifications to the uniform for religious reasons. This includes allowing a student to wear a hijab or a Pagdi. Making such minute modifications helps still ensure uniformity and respect for the students' religions as well.
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