Be rational, don’t use your children, Maszlee tells khat critics

Zaim Ibrahim Zaim Ibrahim Updated 4 years ago · Published on 27 Aug 2019 12:41PM · 3 Comments

Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik (right) at an event in Penang today, where he spoke on Sekat's call for parents to pull their children from school unless the government postpones it plan to introduce khat writing. – The Malaysian Insight pic, August 27, 2019.

OPPONENTS of the government’s plan to introduce khat or Jawi writing at Year 4 in vernacular schools must think and behave rationally, Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik said.

There is no need to behave emotionally about the matter as khat calligraphy is just a small component of the education syllabus, he said in response to a loose alliance of groups that said it would get parents to stop sending children to school if the government didn’t address their concerns over the plan.

“We need to be rational. There’s no need to involve our children in an emotional way,” Maszlee said after an event at a teachers’ training institute in Penang today.

“Be realistic. Education is something all communities want to invest in,” he added.

Maszlee was commenting on the call by the Seni Khat Action Team (Sekat), a coalition of groups that oppose plans to introduce khat in the Year 4 Bahasa Melayu syllabus for Chinese and Tamil schools next year.

The group said it would urge parents to stop sending their children to school if the government did not postpone the plan and discuss it with them first.

This is even after Putrajaya said Jawi writing would be scaled down from six pages to three, be optional for vernacular schools and would not be tested in examinations.

Maszlee said his advice to be rational was not only directed at Sekat but other opponents of the plan too.

“If we prevent our children from going to school, they will end up playing by the roadside and be exposed to social ills.

“As parents and community leaders, we are responsible for ensuring that our children go to school.

“The ministry has also embarked on the ‘Zero Reject Policy’ that is aimed at ensuring no child is prevented from going to school.”

Public debate over khat has dragged on for more than a month, including speculation from certain non-Malay quarters that it would be used as an “Islamisation tool”.

Opponents from Sabah and Sarawak, meanwhile, say their state governments should have been consulted in recognition of the states’ autonomy over education.

The plan to introduce khat next year for Year 4 pupils in vernacular schools was mooted by the previous Barisan Nasional government and recently revived by the current government. – August 27, 2019.

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Comments

  • Hey Mazlee be rational dont impose your religion upon others!!!

    Posted 4 years ago by Besaman Mucho · Reply

  • If it is such a small part of the syllabus, the we should immediately withdraw it, as it is of little consequence. Let us not have any surreptitious attempts to force Islam down the throats of our non-Muslim children.

    Maszlee has a hidden dakwah agenda which we categorically reject.

    Posted 4 years ago by Arul Inthirarajah · Reply

  • Mazlee i like the pharase u use "We need to be Rational" why were your Teachers n School HM n Education Ministry NOT RATIONAL when u FORCE STUDENTS TO EAT IN THE TOILET when u malays observing ur religious obligation in SCHOOL GROUND. Separating cups n plates in SCHOOL GROUND . Now u want to FORCE JAWI ON US in SCHOOL
    GROUND. Why Dont U be RATIONAL FIRST b4 saying it to the non malay. U can Create Harmony by Withdrawing it but u choose to CREATE A NON HARMONY SITUATION PURPOSELY. The TRUTH is that u Malays hv forgotten that there is a VERY POWERFULL ENERGY ABOVE U MALAYS WHICH U ALL DONT WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE

    Posted 4 years ago by Mindy Singh · Reply