COMPULSORY RELIGIOUS STUDIES

The government of Malaysia has agreed to expand the Jawi, al-Qur’ān, Arab and Fardu Ain (j-QAF) programme at schools and make Kelas Agama and Fardhu Ain (KAFA) programme as part of the life-long Islamic education programme. This decision was reached in principle at a coordination meeting between the ministries of education and higher education and Prime Minister’s Department. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, deputy prime minister and education minister, said while winding up debate before the close of the 60th Umno, the ruling nationalist party, General Assembly. The Education Ministry has already made it compulsory for Muslim students to attend Islamic religious studies. Schools with more than five Muslim students must offer religious studies as a syllabus. Muhyiddin said the government also encourages public religious schools (sekolah agama rakyat or SAR) to register with the Education Ministry so that assistance can be given to them. A total of 156 out of 1,731 SAR-KAFA have done so. This year, the government spent RM281.4 million for government-aided religious school and RM37 million for SAR-KAFA.