Johor PAS lauds PM for backing khat

JOHOR BARU: Johor PAS supports Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the issue of khat or Jawi calligraphy, which will be taught as part of the Bahasa Melayu curriculum for Year Four pupils.

Its commissioner, Abdullah Husin congratulated the Education Ministry in its effort to strengthen national heritage by introducing khat in schools, starting in 2020.

“Based on our survey, there should not be any reasons for any sides to object the learning, as the subject is only taught five or six times in a one-year period.

“Only six pages out of the 156 pages are allocated to learn khat where it is not made compulsory and will not be included in any examinations, ” he said here on Sunday (Aug 4).

He pointed out that the talent and creativity of the future generation can be practised as early as primary school and indirectly fosters a sense of love for the nation’s cultural heritage.

Abdullah said that Johor PAS would continue to support the initiative in khat writing, where students should be encouraged to appreciate the artistic value in it.

“Johor PAS supported Dr Mahathir’s action in deciding that khat lessons should be continued.

“We are confident that in learning khat, it is able to strengthen unity and national identity. It is also able to create a Malaysia that has better understanding and strong knowledge on national heritage, ” he said.

It was reported that Dr Mahathir said the introduction of khat as part of the Bahasa Melayu subject for Year Four pupils next year would go ahead, saying that those objecting were only a small segment of the society.

National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Harry Tan said that teachers are being trained to teach introduction to khat to students in all schools, starting next year.

The Education Ministry, he said, had assured NUTP that students would not be assessed on their mastery of the art.

Tan said the ministry told NUTP that khat was an art of writing that could make learning more enjoyable for pupils, while teaching them beautiful handwriting.