(にほん)

Japan

(こうこう)

high school

(せいふく)

school uniform

(じゆう)

freedom, free

(えらぶ)

To choose; to select

(がっこう)

school

(ふえる)

to increase; to grow

(いま)

now

(だんし)

male; men's

(ずぼん)

pants

(じょし)

women, female

(すかーと)

skirt

(せいと)

student (middle/high school)

(すき)

liked, favorite

(ふく)

clothes

(ある)

a certain (some)

(りぼん)

ribbon (uniform tie)

(ねくたい)

necktie

(なか)

inside

(もの)

thing

(さむい)

cold

(ひ)

day

(はく)

to wear (shoes/pants)

(じてんしゃ)

bicycle

(くる)

to come

(べんり)

convenient

(せんせい)

teacher

(みんな)

Everyone; everybody

(あんしん)

relief / peace of mind

(だいじ)

important, serious

(はなす)

to speak, talk

(おなじ)

same

(これから)

from now on

potential form: can do ~

選べる is the potential form of 選ぶ ("can choose"), and 来られる is the potential form of 来る ("can come"). The article uses them to say students can choose their clothes and everyone can come to school.

is doing, has been doing (ongoing state/action)

Expresses a continuing action or resulting state. Formed with て-form + いる. Can describe an action in progress or a state resulting from a past change.

can do ..., to be able to ...

Verb dictionary form + ことができる expresses ability or possibility. More formal than the potential verb form. Common in written Japanese and announcements.

quotative particle

Marks the content of what someone said or reported. Used with 言う here.

like ~ / resembling ~

Used in 「糸のような細い金属」to describe the metal as being thin like a thread.

Probably ~; it seems that ~

Expresses conjecture or probability. More formal than ～だろう. Often used in news and weather reports.

制服を選べる学校が増えている

More and more schools let students choose their uniform

日本の高校で、制服を自由に選べる学校が増えています。

At high schools in Japan, the number of schools where students can freely choose their uniform is increasing.

今までは、男子はズボン、女子はスカートでした。

Until now, boys wore trousers and girls wore skirts.

今は、生徒が好きな服を選ぶことができます。

Now, students can choose the clothes they like.

ある学校では、スカートとズボンとリボンとネクタイの中から、好きなものを選びます。

At one school, students pick what they like from among skirts, trousers, ribbons, and neckties.

寒い日にズボンをはく生徒もいます。

There are also students who wear trousers on cold days.

自転車で学校に来る生徒にも便利です。

It is convenient for students who come to school by bicycle, too.

学校の先生は「みんなが安心して学校に来られることが大事です」と話しています。

A teacher at the school says, "What matters is that everyone can come to school feeling safe and at ease."

同じような学校は、これからも増えるでしょう。

Schools like this will probably keep increasing from now on.