BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: The Compulsory Religious Education Order 2012 came into force January 1, 2013. The Ministry of Religious Affairs through the Islamic Education Institute said religious schools nationwide will open registration next Wednesday (Jan 9, 2013) whereby the morning session for the pre-school religious education will start at 7.30am and afternoon session at 1.30pm, Borneo Bulletin reported.
Parents and guardians who have children aged seven years as of this year and have not registered them yet are urged to do so at their nearest religious schools.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs said it is obligatory for every Muslim child – aged seven years and above and until the age of 15 – who resides in Brunei Darussalam to be enrolled in pre-school and primary religious education.
This is part of the Compulsory Religious Education Order 2012 announced by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam during the Teacher’s Day titah last year.
The order emphasises mandatory religious education for children born on or after January 1, 2006 and at least one of the parents is a Brunei citizen or permanent resident.
The interpretation of the order also means that the child must have fulfilled all the requirements to join pre-school and primary religious education. Religious education means an education in accordance with Ahli Sunnah Wal Jama’ah.
The order among others also underlines the obligatory responsibility of parents to register his/her child at a religious school on January 1 for the school term and to ensure that the child is registered in a religious school in that year and continues to be a student throughout the duration of the compulsory religious education.
Parents who fail to do so are deemed to have committed an offence under Section 5 (2) and if found guilty would face a fine of not more than $5,000, an imprisonment term not exceeding one year or both. The religious education that a child has to attend in a religious school is for seven years. The child completes the education between seven and eight years.
The order is a milestone for the Government of His Majesty through the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Islamic Education Institute in realising religious education in the country.