KUALA LUMPUR: Parents in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu are not missing out on the weekend opportunity to make final preparations for their children’s schooling needs ahead of the opening of the 2025 school session in these three states tomorrow.
A Bernama survey at several premises in the three states saw many parents still taking advantage of the last day of the school holidays today to complete their children’s schooling needs, including utilising the Early Schooling Aid (BAP).
In TERENGGANU, Norhafizah Rejab, 37, said she and her husband bought an extra set of uniforms for their daughter who is entering Standard Three using the BAP, describing the initiative as highly beneficial for parents.
“Alhamdulillah, RM150 is enough to buy a basic set of school attire. It doesn’t have to be a branded one, just sufficient for my child to wear for the year. Moreover, my daughter has been appointed as a library prefect starting tomorrow, so we had to buy a completely new set,“ she said when met at a clothing shop in Kuala Terengganu.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Hamzah Alias, a senior supervisor at a clothing store involved in the Rahmah MADANI Sales programme (PJRM) under the Back To School initiative, said the number of his customers increased when the programme was held on Jan 31 and Feb 1.
In KEDAH, a father of three Md Irwan Effendy Muhammad Ariffin, 38, said he had to leave his children’s school preparations until the final week due to work commitments as a trader.
“Two of my children have finished secondary school, and only my eight-year-old son is still in school. We reused what we could from last year and only bought new items where necessary.
“Alhamdulillah, even at the last minute, there were still plenty of size options available for school uniforms,“ said Md Irwan Effendy, who spent about RM300 on school essentials, including uniforms and stationery.
Meanwhile, a mother of five, Nur Atikah Abdul Majid, 38, said she had completed her preparations early since the beginning of the school holidays and today she only took her children for a haircut.
“I have two sons in secondary school and two in primary school. Every year, I make sure to buy their school necessities early. This year, I allocated around RM100 per child, and for the rest, we used items that were still in good condition,“ she said.
Meanwhile, in KELANTAN, several premises selling school uniforms in Kota Bharu appeared quiet, likely due to parents having made their purchases in advance for the new school term.
A housewife, Mazira Ismail, 42, said she had bought most of her three children’s school supplies at the end of last year, and this week she only needed to pick up a few additional items, such as stationery.
“I prefer to buy early because my children need to wear their uniforms for registration day, and I want to avoid last-minute crowds. I worry that suitable sizes for my children might sell out,“ she said.
