KUCHING: The Ministry for Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD) is not against the implementation of Al Nawawi’s Forty Hadith module, involving government schools as long as the non-Muslim students are not forced to learn the subject.
Minister Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn stated that he could not comment on it any further as MEITD had not received further details regarding the teaching module at the moment.
“It is not compulsory for the non-Muslim students, as it can be a choice for them should they want to learn further on the subject.
“However, if they are forced to learn, of course I would not agree on it,” he said when met by reporters after officiating at the closing ceremony of Digital Talents and Innovators Lab here yesterday.
He added that in previous years, the Muslim students had been learning Bible for educational purposes when they studied in mission schools.
“So you can see there is not a problem, and we have not heard them converting to other religion, rather they become more knowledgeable.
“Here in Sarawak, we are very open, for instance our Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg who is a Muslim, where in his allocation, no other religions are left behind and he even gave funds to the churches and temples in the state,” he said.
Earlier on Aug 19, Minister of MOE Fadhlina Sidek had launched the appreciation module aimed at fostering the value of the Prophet Muhammad’s sayings or Hadith at the school level.
The module will be introduced in national religious secondary schools and government-funded religious schools and the implementation will gradually be extended to other public schools.
On a similar note, Deputy Minister of MOE Lim Hui Ying had stated that the module is intended for Muslim students in public schools only.
“This course only involves Muslim teachers and students. For Chinese and Tamil schools, only Muslim students need to attend, and not non-Muslim students. This is very clear.
“The minister has openly and clearly stated this to the deputy minister, secretary-general, heads of various departments, and others present at the post-Cabinet meeting,” she said recently.
