Teachers and staff at SK Bohor spent over two weeks sewing a giant 20-metre Jalur Gemilang to celebrate National Month and foster patriotism.
ALOR SETAR: The patriotic spirit of the staff and students of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Bohor here was displayed in an extraordinary way when the entire school community joined forces to produce a giant Jalur Gemilang in conjunction with this year’s National Month celebrations.
SK Bohor headmistress Hazrina Harun said the Jalur Gemilang, measuring eight metres wide and 20 metres long, was hung from the top of the school’s three-storey building. It took more than two weeks to produce and was sewn by the school’s teachers and staff after school hours.
“The idea of producing this giant Jalur Gemilang came about spontaneously following discussions among the teachers. A total of 27 teachers and seven members of the implementing group (AKP), together with the Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG), joined forces to carry out the project.
“An estimated 400 metres of fabric was used at an approximate cost of RM1,000,” she said at the National Day Eve Pre-Celebration and Giant Jalur Gemilang launching ceremony at SK Bohor here today.
She said the symbolic production of the giant flag represented sovereignty and unity, while fostering love for the country among students, the school community and the local community.
“I would not have been able to do this without the teachers at this school, who have shown tremendous commitment. They bought the fabric and sewed the flag after school hours, from 2 pm to 7 pm.
“As the new headmistress here, I greatly appreciate the teachers’ extraordinary commitment. This is a noble effort to instil the spirit of patriotism among our students, including those in the Special Education Integration Programme (PPKI),” she said.
Hazrina said the production of the giant flag was also among the efforts to showcase the potential of SK Bohor, one of the smaller schools in the Kota Setar district, which has 258 students, including 54 PPKI students.
Meanwhile, SK Bohor PPKI preschool teacher Mohd Tarmizi Rohani, who led the project, said the main challenge in completing the giant flag was that it was made entirely using fabric sewing techniques without the use of paint.
“The flag was sewn by the teachers, with some even bringing their own sewing machines to school and taking leftover pieces of fabric home to continue sewing. We also had to ensure that the positioning of the crescent and the 14 points of the star were sewn accurately and neatly,” he said.
He said SK Bohor’s location along the main route to the city centre and hospital made the giant flag an eye-catching attraction that could instil the spirit of independence among people passing through the area.
