However, with the Covid-19 pandemic and the new normal upon us, school staff and parents have skipped on organising the annual year-end concert this year. On the contrary, they are guiding their young ones through a red carpet drive-thru graduation ceremony instead.
Forced to comply with strict SOPs, one kindergarten in Shah Alam refused to allow their students to end their early childhood education on a dull note.
They decided to get creative last Friday by holding a photography session while handing over certificates to children seated in the car with their parents.
Farriz Abdul Rahman, principal of Pusat Asuhan Tunas Islam (PASTI) Little Imtiyaz kindergarten, said the event was a result of discussions between teachers and the management who still wanted the children to experience the excitement of graduating despite the lack of a stage and crowd.
“In order to incorporate some cheerful elements, each parent’s car was decked with colourful decorations and the child’s name was written on a large card to enliven the atmosphere,” he told FMT.
Looking on the bright side, the principal, also affectionately known as Ustaz Farriz, said the school had managed to save up on costs while prepping for the event in the middle of a pandemic.
“Before this, a lot of funds were spent on renting the hall, various stage decorations and costumes for students. However, Covid-19 has allowed us to save up a lot without burning a hole in parents’ pockets or the kindergarten’s management fund.”
While many parents were on board with the idea, he said there were initially requests to hold the usual graduation ceremony, as parents wanted to see their children perform one more time before they moved up to Year One in primary school.
“The antics of young students on stage is what people always look forward to,” said Farriz, adding that another highlight of the day was bidding his goodbyes to the children.
“As of now, some children and parents are crying because these are some of the final moments a teacher has in passing on the responsibility to parents, before their children take their first steps across national school gates.”