SOME ingenious parents have insisted on opting for the hassle-free DTF (direct to film) iron-on Jalur Genilang for their young school-going children’s uniform despite schools nationwide having started to distribute two pieces of the pin-on version for each pupil.
This came about as they described the free pin-on badges which are being provided to all pupils in the 2025/2026 school session as being cumbersome from both safety and durability aspects.
For the record, the Education Ministry has compelled all students in government schools, government-aided schools, matriculation colleges and teacher training institutes to comply with the wearing of Jalur Genilang badge on their school uniforms effective last Monday (April 21).
This is in line with the Madani government’s aim of fostering a spirit of patriotism and national resilience among students and educators.
As rightly pointed out by a self-proclaimed ‘cybernaut’ on X, the pin-on version is fragile for it uses acrylic glue to stick the flag onto the pin holder, hence is easily detachable once the sealant has worn off.
“It incurs replacement cost (which presumably to be borne by parents) once that happens or if lost,” reacted @DeanOrDeen to a post by a parent who lamented that her daughter’s pin-on badge “has broken into two”.
Menatang tu guna acrylic, pastu guna gam acrylic. Biasa calit2 je tampal bg lekat. Mmg fragile. Kalau hilang dh kos.
Ada yg ibubapa bgtau nk pakai yg magnet tp mahal so, nk guna yg iron on.
Iron on jenis DTF ni lebih durable. 35sen satu, tampal kat semua baju. Settle. https://t.co/aniRn3QsLI pic.twitter.com/gnGE0qdeRE
— DeenOrDean (@DeanOrDeen) April 21, 2025
“Some parents say they want to use magnetic ones but these are expensive, hence they would resort to using the iron-on version.
“This DTF iron on type is most durable. Only costs 35 sen each and can stick on all clothes. Settle.”
Earlier, mother PostMieja 🇵🇸🍉(@mieja_ibrahim) had in a viral post related how “the glue is as thin as an onion peel 😂” when referring to her daughter’s pin-on badge which has seen “broken into two” after having fallen down.
“Mummy sorry. Ada jarum dlm poket kakak. Bendera kakak patah dua. Terjatuh tadi. Hati-hati mummy”
I seluk poket baju anak nak tahu apa benda yg ada. Nohhhhh. Dia punya gam senipis kulit bawang 😂
“It’s ok kakak. Nanti mummy beli yg terus blh iron kat tudung tu” pic.twitter.com/I6z1yjeG07
— Mieja 🇵🇸🍉 (@mieja_ibrahim) April 21, 2025
“It’s OK my child. Later, mummy will buy something that can be ironed directly onto your tudung,” the Kopi Saigon operator consoled her daughter.
Although she holds no grudges on the matter for she personally feels that it is most appropriate to cultivate the sense of patriotism in schools, she nevertheless is keen to know who won the tender to manufacture the badges.
Interestingly, PostMieja 🇵🇸🍉further ticked off a commenter who purportedly claimed that many parents these days only know how to complain even when the badges are given free on grounds that it makes no sense to “enabling a half-baked/low quality product”.
While the iron-on version seems to be an ideal solution to many busy parents, a mother cautioned that “it’s best to ask the teacher first” if such option is permissible.
“I applied the iron-on one on my child’s uniform but he came back to tell me that his teacher is against the wearing of such badge,” shared the home baker.
“Now I’m getting dizzy as to how I’m able to rid the iron-on badge without ruining my child’s uniform. Aiyooo.” – April 23, 2025
