GEORGE TOWN: Some laughed and a few cried as pupils of SK Minden Heights finished their last day of school before a three-week break till next year.
As they bade farewell yesterday to friends and teachers, parents waited eagerly at the gate to pick up their children to start their break, some already with holiday plans ahead.
Six-year-old Mohamad Amsyar Rizqy Khairul Nizam, who is in preschool, was all excited as he would be spending the next two weeks in Langkawi with his grandparents.
His father, civil servant Khairul Nizam Nornahar, 33, said Mohamad Amsyar was looking forward to the trip.
“I took a week’s leave to spend time with him in Langkawi. After that, my parents look after him for another week. There, he will be pampered and will spend precious time with my parents, which I believe is important during childhood,” said Khairul Nizam.
He was among hundreds of parents at the school’s gate yesterday.
However, not all parents made holiday plans.
Housewife Teh Ai Chern, 45, said she did not plan any major holidays to go with her three school-going children.
“I have an 11-year-old son and two daughters aged 16 and 17. It is costly for all of us to travel together.
“Tuition will continue to ensure they are not left out when they return to classrooms,” said Teh, who was there to pick up 11-year-old Tan Jun Yang.
For 39-year-old lorry driver Mohamad Mutalib Mustafa, he would put holiday plans on hold in view of the rising cost of living and economic recession.
“During school holidays in the past, we would travel to various holiday attractions in Malaysia.
“So far, we have not planned anything and might just stay home until the economy improves,” he said.
Outside the school, his six-year-old daughter Nur Musfirah was seen hugging him numerous times before they left the school together.
One pupil caught the attention of other parents when he sobbed by himself uncontrollably.
Without giving his name, the boy said he would miss his friends.
“I am afraid that I won’t see them again. I pray that our friendships will last,” he said.
With the crowd of parents arriving to pick up their children, school teachers were deployed to help manage traffic congestion and see their pupils off.
The pupils will return to school in January to resume their final academic term before the end of school year holidays starting from February.
They will transition to a new academic year in March.
