RM8.4 Million For Flag Pins While Schools Need Basic Repairs: Parents Question Priorities
Parents are concerned that this money wasn’t allocated to address pressing school infrastructure needs including broken furniture, poorly maintained toilets, leaking roofs, lack of air conditioning, and missing security cameras.
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The Malaysian government has spent RM8.4 million purchasing flag pins for over 5 million school students, and parents are furious about it.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek announced that every student gets two free Malaysian flag pins to wear on their school uniform.
The pins went to students in regular schools, colleges, and teacher training centres across the country.
Starting 21 April, all government school students must wear these 5cm x 2.5cm flag pins on the right side of their chest.
The government says this will make students more patriotic and love Malaysia more.
Why Parents Are Concerned
Parents believe the RM8.4 million should have been allocated to school improvements instead of purchasing pins.
They’re raising concerns about broken desks and chairs, poorly maintained toilets that students avoid using, insufficient air conditioning, leaking roofs, and the lack of security cameras.
One parent wrote online: “Teachers even spend their own money to fix things in class when they break. That RM8.4 million could have helped so many schools instead of spending it on pins.”
Another parent commented, “Many school toilets are in such poor condition that children avoid using them all day until they get home. These issues should be addressed first before purchasing pins.”
tandas sekolah mmg teruklah, aku penah g tandas budak sekolah terhebat tuttt mak aiiii teruk paip rosak, pintu berlubang https://t.co/hvidye2COF
— ajo. (@ainamajo) March 15, 2025
The Pin Problems
Parents also pointed out that the pins themselves cause issues.
They break easily after just one week of wearing; the sharp pins can hurt young children, especially 7-year-olds, and when they fail, parents have to spend their money buying replacements anyway.
“Those pins break after wearing them for a week. Parents still end up spending money to buy new ones,” complained one parent.
One parent suggested a simple solution: “Just sell the pins at school shops for RM2 each. Use that RM8.4 million to fix our schools instead!”
At the same time, the controversy highlights a larger question about government spending: why does each flag pin cost RM1.63 when similar pins are available online for less?
As one social media user calculated: “RM8.4 million divided by 5.14 million students equals RM1.63 per pin. That’s expensive compared to market prices outside. I can buy them on Shopee for less than 50 cents each.”
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READ MORE: Jalur Gemilang Flag Pin Nearly Cost This 12-Year-Old Her Finger
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