NYP student pulls 'under cover' stunt at graduation
PUBLISHED ONMay 25, 2015 12:53 AM
Some students take selfies while receiving their diplomas. Others somersault on stage.
Such antics are becoming increasingly common in graduation ceremonies here.
But for this student from Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), his attention-grabbing stunt was a little more "unconventional" - he remained faceless throughout by wearing a hood over his head, even when posing for the obligatory photo with the VIP giving out the diplomas.
This incident took place on Thursday at NYP, during the graduation ceremony for the School of Interactive and Digital Media (SIDM), reported Shin Min Daily News yesterday.
Wearing a black veil with gold trimmings which concealed his entire face, the graduand took a photo with school director Daniel Tan, who appeared to be more amused than annoyed by the prank.
It is understood that the student was not rebuked by his lecturers.
An eyewitness told the Chinese evening daily that two other students had also worn similar headgear on stage, but they removed it before receiving their diplomas.
Stunts such as this are not unusual at SIDM, as its students are known for their creativity, said the eyewitness, who did not give his name. For example, students' photos are often doctored to include strange backgrounds and then pasted everywhere, he said.
Although students interviewed by Shin Min were tickled by the "harmless" incident, Member of Parliament for Mountbatten Lim Biow Chuan was less forgiving.
"Graduation ceremonies are solemn occasions marking the end of individuals' learning journeys, and are taken very seriously by students and parents alike," said Mr Lim, who is also chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education.
He pointed out that unless the student had recently suffered a rash outbreak, such actions remain unacceptable as they devalue the significance of the event.
"If he did not want to be recognised, he could have chosen to stay away," said Mr Lim.
Recently, a student from Malaysia's Universiti Teknologi Mara was suspended for taking a selfie on stage during his graduation ceremony.
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