IT’S time to put the teaching of Jawi in vernacular schools behind and move forward, said the acting director-general of education, Dr Habibah Abdul Rahim.
The Dong Jiao Zong gathering tomorrow should consider the initiatives taken by the Education Ministry to address the concerns raised by Chinese education groups, she said.
The matter should not be prolonged any more, she said.
“We have changed five times on Jawi and at this point of time, those negotiations and considerations taken by the ministry should be put into account in whatever discussion they’re having.
“Schools are going to start soon and we’re still thinking about Jawi and fear about this issue. It has been reduced from six pages to three and it is not even an hour of lesson. We should move forward,” she told a forum last night.
Six panellists took part yesterday – Ng Chai Hang from from Dong Jiao Zong, Muhammad Faisal Aziz from Abim, Prof Badlishah Sham from Ikram, K. Arumugam from Tamil Foundation, Isabel Pak from KLSCH while Habibah represented the ministry.
Habibah said since the issue became prominent, the ministry had conducted countless engagement programmes with relevant stakeholders.
“On July 25, the issue was raised and the ministry responded quickly and a day later, we had an engagement with relevant parties.
“From that day, we continued to engage with all stakeholders.”
In August, Putrajaya said it would continue with the teaching of Jawi for year four pupils but with some adjustments.
This came after protests from vernacular education groups.
Under the new decision, there are fewer Jawi lessons and on the approval of the respective school’s parent-teacher association.
Malay right-wing groups have warned Dong Jiao Zong against holding a meeting at its headquarters tomorrow. – THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
Lack of rationale for Jawi lessons cause of mistrust, says Abim chief
THE government’s failure to provide a proper explanation for the introduction of Jawi lessons in primary schools has given rise to fears and suspicions, said Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) president Muhammad Faisal Aziz.
Speaking at a forum on Jawi last night, Faisal said both the government and civil rights groups had not addressed the fears.
He said there was a lack of trust among the public and it has made the teaching of Jawi in schools problematic.
“For hundreds of years we have used Jawi. It is part of our identity and history. All the charters during our golden days were written in Jawi. When the British sent letters to our sultans they were written in Jawi.
“But now Jawi has become a tool to create fear and we have done nothing to address it. The Chinese fear Islamisation and the Malays fear the Chinese – (such things) were never an issue before,” he said.
Ikram deputy president Badlishah Sham urged more engagement through dialogue to reach understanding.
“We must not look at this issue through the lens of race and religion. If we look from that point of view it will create distrust. We should look at the broader picture, or at a more meaningful view.
“Of course there will be objection but there should be room for engagement and to look for points of similarity,” he said.
K. Aramugam of the Tamil Foundation said Jawi lesson must not be forced on schoolchildren.
“When I was a kid in school I remember learning Jawi but that was different as at the time, my teacher, a Malay teacher, could speak to us in Tamil. There was a connection but now I don’t think we have that,” he said.
“To me, this subject should not be forced. Let them learn with an open heart so that they can feel attached to the subject.
“I do agree that another problem that we are facing is that we don’t seem to trust each other. There is distrust among us and that has caused more trouble.”
Putrajaya announced in August that it would proceed with the teaching of Jawi for Year 4 pupils but with some adjustments to the plan.
This came after protests from vernacular education groups.
The tweaked plan outlined fewer lessons and required the approval of the respective Parent-Teacher Association for the Arabic script to be taught in the school.
Malay right wing groups have warned Dong Jiao Zong against holding a meeting at its headquarters this Saturday to discuss the Jawi lessons in schools.
They said that racial riots could break out if Dong Jiao Zong proceeded with its plan to hold the meeting.
The group, representing several Malay civil society groups, also lodged a police report against Dong Jiao Zong.
Dong Jiao Zong had said that the meeting was not a protest but an indoor event to discuss the implementation of Jawi lessons in the vernacular schools.
THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
I think the Malays should continue to champion the teaching of Jawi in all schools.
ReplyDeleteIn time make it a exam subject. That way, Malaysia can continue to be champions of the Malay heritage and Islam.
Forget English,Maths and Science - these are not important for the soul
The writing is on the wall....Jawi is dying if not already dead. The introduction of "jawi" in vernacular schools is Malaysia's last hope of reviving it.
ReplyDelete