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MY DAUGHTER was invited to receive the Merit Bursary Award recently, for her good academic performance. I accompanied her to the Sengkang Community Club with the expectation of an exciting ceremony but found it a listless, tame affair.
Students were given a name tag and ushered into a closed hall. The guest of honour arrived, went straight to the podium, took out a sheet of paper and read out a prepared speech. As parents were kept outside the hall, we could not hear what the guest of honour said.
The students were then lined up in rows and took turns to walk up to the stage to receive an envelope, after which they left the hall through an exit on the side.
I tried to talk to a few recipients but all were in a hurry. Even the awardees had no opportunity to interact with others. I hope such ceremonies will be conducted in a better way so that they could be occasions for bonding.
N. Nageswaran
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