KUALA LUMPUR: As schools reopen on Monday, parents were seen scrambling with last-minute shopping around the city yesterday.

Not only were they purchasing the usual school uniforms and shoes, but also other items such as track bottoms, plain white T-shirts, baju kurung and tudung.

Cleaner Sarima Osman from Ampang said as her son was an athlete at school, she had to buy at least two white T-shirts and track bottoms, and a pair of sport shoes for him.

"When he was in primary school we could buy the T-shirts and track bottoms from the school.

"But since he will be in Form One this year, I will have to buy them outside," she said at the Mydin Wholesale Hypermarket in Jalan Masjid India here.
Her son Muhammad Hanafiah Abdul Aziz who will be attending SM Tasik Permai, also needed a pair of white baju Melayu, green sampin and black songkok for his religious school.

"I have to spend about RM300 on his uniforms alone. I have to spend even more for his elder brother who is going to a boarding school in Malacca."

Hanafiah recently scored 4As and 1B in his Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah while his 15-year-old brother Muhammad Hafiz scored straight As in his Penilaian Menengah Rendah examination.

"Hafiz will have to wear a brown uniform on certain days of the week, other than the normal one. This means he will need two types of uniforms and that doesn't include other necessities," said Sarima, who only earns RM700 a month.

Her husband Abdul Aziz Kamarudin works as a baker and earns RM500 monthly.

For Halim Senawi of Bangsar, looking for a pair of religious school uniforms for his daughter was a hassle.

"It's really hard to find a red coloured sarung. I wonder why the students can't just wear the same uniform for primary and religious schools?" he said.

Security manager Ahmad Khusaini also shared the same view.

"My daughter is going to be in Year One and already we have to get her four sets of uniforms -- two for primary school and two for religious school. Luckily the tudung is white for both uniforms."

His only daughter Intan Nurul Atiqah will be attending SK Taman Nirwana in the afternoon session and Sekolah Agama Al-Falah in the morning.

Meanwhile, Mislan Samsudin who works in the city centre was more than happy to shop at the hypermarket as he got good bargains for most of the school items.

"The shoes here are really cheap. They cost only RM4.90 a pair.

"So, it's best to shop here before my daughter and wife go back to Sabah as the new school term is just days away."