I REFER to Mr Teng Kie Zin's letter last Friday, 'Ill-conceived: MDIS dress code crackdown' and could not disagree more.

First, I find it troubling that Mr Teng finds the news about the dress code crackdown to be 'the most upsetting news in weeks' and hope other issues in the news also elicit his attention and thoughts.

Second, this is not about the Singapore climate.

Wherever we go, be it school or work, we need to be mindful of the image we portray. Dressing in shorts and slippers at the market or hawker centre is perfectly acceptable. But showing up in such attire at the office, theatre or church is disrespectful, to say the least.

Always be aware that you are not just dressing for yourself but for others. In the workplace, for instance, we may feel it is our right to display our individuality with loud or eccentric dressing, only to be told we should tone it down and adopt a more office-y way of dressing (that is, skirts and blouses, pant suits and blouses, or jackets). I think Mr Teng will wake up to this reality once he gets a job and starts working, then he will understand that, as much as she wants to get by in T-shirt and shorts, he will not be taken seriously unless he dresses more professionally. The same applies to school.

You are there to get an education. No one is saying you have to dress in designer wear or be prudishly dressed in buttoned-up tops and knee-length skirts.

Denim is fine, but minis and short shorts? Who are we kidding here? Would it not be distracting to her male classmates and male teachers? I see many youngsters these days wearing short shorts and high heels and shudder... that, to me, is the ultimate fashion faux pas, not batik shirts, as Mr Teng seems to think.

Short shorts and high heels belong in front of Orchard Towers, not in an education institution.

Sandra Jayandran (Ms)