First impressions can be important and, as prospective employers will tell you, often make the difference between success and failure. Educating children to make an effort with their appearance can be one of the best life lessons that can be taught, one that will serve them well for years to come.

Curiously, the NSW Education Minister this week targeted teachers rather than students over the way they dress. Issuing a teachers’ dress code, he raised eyebrows among teachers, principals and the unions that represent them, many of whom thought there were more pressing issues to attend to.

The vast majority of teachers know the importance of dressing well. They already do so because they understand it lends them authority. 

While the minister’s ban on thongs, T-shirts and clothing that promotes alcohol makes sense, it probably did not need to be said because most schools would enforce those standards anyway. By issuing the decree, all he has done is raise suspicion that he is embarking on a distraction campaign to mask something more sinister.

Teachers have so much on their agendas already, with the task of educating children becoming ever more complex by the day, that a directive such as this is bound to raise hackles. 

Perhaps directing students to take more care with their appearance would better serve the community.