PUTRAJAYA: Parents made a beeline for free haircut services today as they rushed to get their children ready for the start of the 2025 school session tomorrow.
A check by Bernama at the Jom Gunting Rambut Percuma event, organised by Putrajaya Umno, found over 100 people had registered since 9am, highlighting the high demand for last-minute grooming.
Mohd Nazrin Abdul Wahab, 43, said the initiative was a huge help for parents as many barber shops were fully booked.
“I brought my children here since it’s the last day before school starts. Most barber shops have long waiting times, so this programme really helps,” he said, adding that he hoped similar initiatives could be expanded to include free tuition and training programmes for students.
Nur Azleen Jamaluddin, 38, also took the opportunity to bring her preschool child for a haircut, saying the programme had eased her burden.
“This is fantastic. I wanted to take my child to a barber shop, but they were all full. I saw the advertisement on social media and came straight here,” she said.
She was also satisfied with the haircut quality despite the barbers being graduates of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme.
Held in collaboration with GiatMara Shah Alam, the event featured 10 barbers who not only provided their services but also aimed to inspire young people to take up TVET training.
Meanwhile, a visit to the MADANI Mega Sales Programme and Back-to-School event at Dewan De’Seri Endon saw parents making last-minute purchases for their children’s school supplies.
Badruzzaman Abdul Rahim, 56, said such programmes helped ease financial pressure on families.
“This is the final round of preparation—buying essential items like stationery at reasonable prices. It’s convenient because everything is available in one place,” said the father of three.
Another parent, Abuzar Saaban, 38, said the discounts at the event were a relief, especially with upcoming financial commitments.
“Preparing children for school requires a lot of spending. These programmes help parents save money, especially with Ramadan around the corner,” he said.
The 2025 school session begins tomorrow for Group B states, covering Melaka, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Labuan.
Meanwhile, schools in Group A—Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu—started their session today.
