Imprint School Uniforms With Jalur Gemilang Moe Urged

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The Education Ministry has been urged to introduce school uniforms that are imprinted with the Jalur Gemilang instead of imposing add-on badges.
ADSThis followed the ministry's latest policy, which requires students at all institutions under its purview to wear a Jalur Gemilang badge on their uniform.
National Parent-Teacher Association Ali Hasan, in making the suggestion, stressed that such an initiative must be done without burdening parents with any further costs.
"I fully support this policy by the Education Ministry that requires students to wear Jalur Gemilang on their uniforms. It can boost their awareness about national identity and inculcate the spirit of patriotism among students.
"(But) I think it has to be implemented in two ways. One is to introduce school uniforms that are readily imprinted with Jalur Gemilang for the use of preschoolers and primary school students. However, this must not incur any additional costs for students.
"The second method is by using a badge, which is for secondary school students and school staff members," Ali told Malaysiakini yesterday.
Adding further, he said the association hopes its suggestion can be implemented in next year's school session.
Ali was responding to complaints from parents who are concerned about the safety of students for having to wear badges, especially for young children or during sports activities.
Enforcement
The wearing of the Jalur Gemilang badge was enforced on school students nationwide beginning yesterday, and has since received various reactions from parents.
It was reported that Putrajaya is providing two units of the Jalur Gemilang badge for each student free of charge, in an effort aimed at boosting patriotism among students.
The initiative also involves matriculation colleges and institutes of teacher education.  
Based on publicly available information, the government has awarded 31 tenders worth RM5.74 million so far for 7.58 million units of Jalur Gemilang badges.
ADSThe tenders were awarded to 26 suppliers, mainly companies that provide printing services and supply stationery.  
The average cost for each badge is about 76 sen, but the price differs between each contract, ranging from 72 sen and 80 sen.
Malaysiakini learned that there are seven other requests for quotations for 1,543,746 badges, but the decision has not been made public.
If the average price for each unit remains the same, the final cost for the government would be around RM6.91 million for a total of 9,118,788 badges.
Based on the ministry's data in 2023, which is the latest available so far, 4,978,302 students registered for primary and secondary schools that year.
- Mkini

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