Student group says Islamic studies just as important as English

Asila Jalil Asila Jalil Updated 7 years ago · Published on 23 Dec 2018 9:00PM · 23 Comments

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's proposal to reduce the number of hours spent teaching Islamic studies in school gets a mixed response. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, December 23, 2018.

A MUSLIM students’ group has urged Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to reconsider his proposal to cut the hours for Islamic studies in school, saying English should only be emphasised at tertiary level.

Peninsular Malay Students Federation (GPMS) information chief Mohd Adib Md Noor said religious studies were just as important as English because a pass is both was compulsory in the Form 5 SPM examinations.

“We can’t say we need to only focus on one subject because these two are (among the) compulsory subjects in SPM.

“There should be a balance between the teaching of both subjects at primary and secondary school,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Adib said English should only be prioritised for students at tertiary levels, as they would enter the “real world” after completing their education.

He said study materials at university level were mostly in English, and students should master the language to widen their knowledge.

Yesterday Dr Mahathir reminded Malaysians of the importance of mastering the English language to acquire knowledge.

He said the curriculum in national schools would be changed so that it no longer focused on Islamic subjects.

“The government is going to revise the school curriculum. Someone changed the national school. National schools have become religious schools for the learning the religion of Islam and not learning anything else,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said religious studies would continue, but not daily.

The Malaysian Insight has found that Islamic studies are taught at least 98 hours a year at primary schools, compared with 160 hours each for Malay and English

In secondary schools, Islamic studies is taught 128 hours a year, equally with Malay but more than. English, science and mathematics, which are taught a minimum 112 hours a year.

Moral studies gets at least 96 hours a year at both primary and secondary schools.

Parent Action Group for Education (Page) honorary secretary Tunku Munawirah Putra said there needs to be a redistribution of the learning hours of core and compulsory subjects.

“(In Brunei), Islamic studies constitute 4-9% (of the lessons) –  4% at upper secondary, 9% at lower secondary and 7% at primary. They spend more time studying science than Islamic studies at every level as science is a core subject and Islamic studies is compulsory,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

“We, on the other hand, spend 9-15% on Islamic studies, and 8-27% on science – 27% for science is a combination of physics, chemistry and biology at upper secondary for those in the science stream.

“An example of subject distribution hours at lower secondary: 13% for BM, 10% each for English, science and maths, 11% of Islamic Studies.

“We can redistribute the learning hours of the core and compulsory subjects.”

Tunku Munawirah said parents who wanted their children to have more hours in religious education could arrange for extra classes after school.

National Union of the Teaching Profession secretary-general Harry Tan said Islamic studies should taking priority in school.

Tan said that the union wants a status quo in curriculum regarding religious studies in schools.

“But non-Muslim parents (should be able to) engage with the Education Ministry to set the activities that their children need when religious classes are held,” he said. – December 23, 2018.

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Comments

  • Sudahlah. Itu balik rumah belajar lebih agama lah

    Posted 7 years ago by S Y L · Reply

  • Subjects taught must serve a purpose. Agama and moral are supposed to make children good human beings. But look at the school discipline situation straight in the eye a and you see that these subjects have totally failed to make them good, well behaved persons. So there is no point wasting precious time on unproductive subjects. The objective that these subjects have totally failed to achieve can instead be achieved with the ROTAN.

    Posted 7 years ago by Ravinder Singh · Reply

    • LOOK NO FURTHER! BETTER EUCATION IN ENGLISH, LIKE IT WAS IN 1957 - TRIED & TESTED.

      Posted 7 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

    • MY 2 BEST FRIENDS IN UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL IN KL IN THE MID-196O's WERE MALAY BOYS WHO SPOKE GOOD ENGLISH & WERE DECENT IN THEIR OBSERVATION OF MODERATE ISLAM. Let's have that back again, killing 2 birds with 1 stone while helping to uplift our Malay friends whom we cannot possibly ignore if we non-Muslims are to be well and happy in this glorious country of nurs!..

      Posted 7 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

    • My last word above should read as "ours"..

      Posted 7 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

  • Percayalah kata orang tua, dia tau apanya baik dan apanya tak baik sebab garam yang dia makan lebih daripada beras kau makan.

    Posted 7 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • Please wake uplah.

    Posted 7 years ago by Richard L · Reply

  • If Islamic study is "just as important as English", should it also be taught at the tertiary level as well just before students enter the real world? The reason many of our graduates are jobless is because their knowledge and skill sets do not match the requirements of the real world.

    Posted 7 years ago by Roger 5201 · Reply

  • Now this guy, Adib Md Noor, is a perfect example of why the words "religion" & "education" do not mix!

    Posted 7 years ago by Antares Maitreya · Reply

    • Malay parents are throwing their RESPONSIBLITIES ON OTHERS . Religion shld NOT BE THAUGHT it shld be PRACTICED IN RIGHT CONTEXTS. Looking at the malay
      Students in school how they behaviour talk n move is very dangerous to the NATION .If the govt of the day FAIL to abolish RELIGIOUS STUDIES IN SCHOOLS IN TIME TO COME U WILL GET STUPID MORON STUDENTS. My humble request to the Education Ministry pls TEACH NON MUSLIM TRUE EDUCATION NON MUSLIMS TEACH RELIGION TO THEIR CHILDREN AT HOME also every Saturday once a week without fail conducted by our religious body. Muslim parents are washing their hands off where their Children Welfare is concern they want others to do the job for them. Why hv kids if u cannot manage. Like pigs u breed. Education ministry pls stop the crap. We NonMuslim want Education in Schools not Religion. Do not use our high tax paid money to give us ZERO EDUCATION. What we mean EDUCATION pls search the dictonary. Adib md noor shld start teaching his children Religion at home the results will be enjoyed by him n his family.

      Posted 7 years ago by Tharan Singh · Reply

    • For a person trying to talk about the importance of education, your language is nothing short of VILE

      Posted 7 years ago by Joe KM · Reply

  • There are tons of sekolah ugama.. go there la. I say cut religious classes altogether and do it as extracurricular. Our very poor standard is because of concentrating on these subjects. PH have the courage to take our education system forward.

    Posted 7 years ago by Alphonz Jayaraman · Reply

  • Suka hati lar, a whole day just for religion also can.... as long as it is not in the expense of non-muslim.

    Posted 7 years ago by Chean Ang Heng · Reply

  • Hopeless...past 60 already shown its failure on this priority.....please wake up

    Posted 7 years ago by Wei Kuan Tan · Reply

  • nope...sekolah funded by federal must not too religiously..tanggungjawab mak n ayah nk bagi pendidikan agama..sekolah rendah kebangsaan n menengah kebangsaan mesti ke arah pendidikan nasional

    Posted 7 years ago by Khairul Anuar · Reply

  • Belajar agama Kat rumah lepas sekolah

    Posted 7 years ago by Mo Salleh · Reply

  • Religious studies should be removed from the school curriculum as religion and education should not be mixed.

    Posted 7 years ago by Rupert Lum · Reply

  • Use school hours for subjects relevant to working life and career advancement...non Muslims students who don't have a single minute of their school hours for their own religious knowledge are left to find their ways. Are they less religious or spoilt ?...why look for govt to allocate time and facilities to study religion....there is mosque and suraus at every corner to provide the knowledge. Find the time brothers....

    Posted 7 years ago by Maniraju Maruthai · Reply

  • This idea that religious education will change behaviour is without foundation. Don't tell me that those BN leaders charged for corruption, those who knew about it and kept quiet, those family members who went on Umrah and enjoyed benefits with the corruption money, lacked religious education. Like in Sports most people know the rules of the games but whether one cheats to win depends on the person concerned. No amount of religious education will/can teach and change that. Cut down the number of periods for religious education to minimum. It is a myth that religious education will change behaviour. Education should be for knowledge and needs.

    Posted 7 years ago by Citizen Pencen · Reply

  • The right place to learn is the Mosques

    Posted 7 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • I was driving on the North South Highway yesterday and saw a few motorcyclists performing stunt on the busy stretch of the highways in very high speed and dangerous manner with no regards to safety of other road users. Is this the teaching they had in the school that emphasize so much on religious studies? I never see any non performing this deadly stunt.

    Posted 7 years ago by Chee yee ng · Reply

  • It is better the gov compartmentalize things. Religion can be taught as a subject, put that as an option to Muslim students - and keep it as an academic subject, with quantum of teaching hours that is reasonable. Other extra etc things that are religious, should be done after school hours / classes if the parents wish.

    Posted 7 years ago by Joe KM · Reply

  • It is better the gov compartmentalize things. Religion can be taught as a subject, put that as an option to Muslim students - and keep it as an academic subject, with quantum of teaching hours that is reasonable. Other extra etc things that are religious, should be done after school hours / classes if the parents wish.

    Posted 7 years ago by Joe KM · Reply