Gerakan launches postcards campaign to oppose khat teaching in schools

Gerakan has launched a postcard campaign to oppose the compulsory teaching of khat or the Jawi alphabet in Chinese and Tamil primary schools.

The campaign was announced by Gerakan president Dominic Lau today together with his deputy and the party's Penang chief Oh Tong Keong at the Penang headquarters along Jalan Macalister in George Town.

"The postcards will be distributed to the public, especially at markets and pasar malam via Gerakan offices in all states," Lau said at the press conference.

"The people can express their dissatisfaction about the issue by sending the postcards to the Ministry of Education," he added.

The postcards are available at all Gerakan offices. There is also an online version.

The campaign comes after Gerakan failed to challenge the ministry's decision with the High Court ruling that the latter could implement the teaching of khat in primary schools starting next year.

Gerakan had named the Pakatan Harapan federal government, the ministry, its minister Maszlee Malik and his deputy Teo Nie Ching as defendants in their suit filed on Sept 18.

At its recent annual general meeting in Kuala Lumpur in November, the MCA also expressed its strong opposition to the teaching of khat in schools.  

The ministry had announced the introduction of khat (Jawi calligraphy) lessons for Standard 4 pupils beginning next year in August and was criticised for its decision.

The government then decided that Jawi lessons would only be implemented with the agreement of parents and members of parent-teacher associations (PTAs).

Lau said the school boards of Chinese and Tamil schools should be allowed to decide whether their primary schools should implement Jawi lessons.

He said Gerakan was moved to initiate the campaign as many community groups, NGOs and parents were upset with the ministry's decision to implement the teaching of Jawi writing in schools.

"The Education Ministry's guideline on khat did not state whether the board of directors of Chinese and Tamil schools can decide whether they want to implement the learning of the Jawi language system in their schools." - Mkini