Maszlee Malik
KUCHING: The Federal Cabinet has refused to budge on the move to introduce khat or Jawi calligraphy in the Bahasa Malaysia syllabus for Year 4 pupils in vernacular schools next year.
Education Minister Maszlee Malik has confirmed that khat will be introduced as planned after the Cabinet gave its unanimous approval today in spite of the objections from Chinese and Tamil vernacular education groups.
However, he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur that the number of pages on khat in the Bahasa Malaysia textbook will be reduced by half to three and teachers can choose how they teach it.
“The Cabinet has decided that the introduction of khat calligraphy will continue as planned but will take into consideration certain matters. The Cabinet has decided that there will be three pages in the textbook,” he said as reported by online news site, Malay Mail.
“At the same time, the Cabinet has decided that the teachers have the option on the method of delivery for introducing khat calligraphy in their classes.”
Maszlee also stressed that there are no examinations on khat.
Malay Mail reported that Maszlee sidestepped the question of whether the Cabinet decision meant khat lessons would be optional, emphasising instead that students would not be tested on their calligraphy skills.
He also maintained that khat for vernacular schools was not his initiative but a continuation of the policy started by the previous Barisan Nasional administration.
Maszlee said that khat had been in the pipeline since 2014 and was set to be introduced in Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools in 2020.
The minister also said that khat was not a new standalone subject as it has been part of the Bahasa Malaysia national syllabus.
When asked if disciplinary action will be taken against teachers who refuse to teach khat, he said in the Malay Mail report that the goal was not to punish or force anyone.
Instead, he said it is to encourage Malaysian students to have intercultural exchanges while appreciating the history and heritage of the nation.