Expressing their patriotism creatively
Pupils join initiative to show their love for M’sia
IPOH: Pupils of SJKT St Philomena and SJKT Menglembu have hopped on board National Day celebrations by joining Star Media Group’s Raise the Flag initiative.
Their participation was made possible thanks to the Perak Indian Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored copies of The Star to the schools last week.
At SJKT St Philomena, many of the pupils from Year One to Year Six decorated their T-shirt templates by drawing instantly-recognisable icons such as the Jalur Gemilang and the national flower, the hibiscus.
The school’s senior assistant Rita Rokeim said they were grateful for the sponsorship because it allowed all 464 pupils to showcase their patriotic spirit in a creative way.
“Our teachers guided pupils during art lessons to design their T-shirt templates and it was heartwarming to see them draw so many things that symbolise our country,” she said.
Rokeim added that apart from inculcating the spirit of patriotism, the initiative also helped pupils to appreciate unity among the people and the value of mutual respect.
Pupils also cut out and rolled up their own mini Jalur Gemilang, which was used during the school’s early National Day celebration.
SJKT Menglembu teacher P. Gunavathy said pupils assembled flags from the newspaper and waved these during National Day and Malaysia Day programmes that will go on until Sept 16, she said.
Gunavathy said the initiative taught pupils, including their pre-schoolers, aged five and six, about the significance of celebrating Merdeka and the meaning of each colour on the Jalur Gemilang.
“It was adorable to see them compete against each another to assemble a better-looking Jalur Gemilang,” she said.
Star Media Group’s Raise The Flag campaign was conceived to strengthen national pride among Malaysians and will run until Malaysia Day on Sept 16.
Aset Kayamas is the main sponsor while Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd is the co-sponsor.
Participants can show off their best pose with the template and flags by posting their pictures on social media with the hashtag #RaiseTheFlagMY, together with a short love note to Malaysia.
The pictures can also be shared on the RaiseTheFlagMY Facebook page.
Submissions with at least 15 persons “wearing” the T-shirts and waving the flags stand to win a RM4,000 buffet for 100 pax at their school/ office/home from Original Kayu Nasi Kandar as well as Pizza Hut vouchers for group school entries.
Exciting prizes including staycations and dining vouchers are up for grabs for the non-group category.
To see the thousands of proud Malaysians who have already done so, check out the Social Media Wall at thestar.com.my/raisetheflag
To bulk order the final remaining Raise The Flag issue on Sept 14 to greet Malaysia Day in style, contact The Star’s Customer Care unit at 1-300-887827 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).