KUALA LUMPUR: Anyone who breaches ethical or moral standards when preaching Islamic teachings will not have their tauliah (accreditation) renewed and may also be subject to action, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan said the authorities, including the Islamic Development Department Malaysia (Jakim), are concerned about speakers who may have abused their roles.
"We are reviewing the ecosystem and accreditation requirements to ensure that only those who are genuinely knowledgeable and deliver their teachings with sincerity are approved," he said during the oral question and answer session on Wednesday (Nov 19).
Mohd Sany Hamzan (PH-Hulu Langat) wanted to know the measures taken by the authorities against preachers or speakers who abuse their roles by spreading false narratives that touch on the 3Rs of race, religion and royalty.
On a similar matter, Zulkilfli stressed that registration of Islamic educational institutions with the authorities is important to ensure the quality and recognition of the curriculum.
He stressed that under the laws governing religious schools in the various states, including the regulations for the control of religious schools, it is stipulated that all Islamic educational institutions must be registered.
This covers all education levels from pre-school to primary and secondary religious schools, private schools, maahad tahfiz, and pondok schools, he added.
"The operation of any unregistered Islamic educational institution is an offence.
"We do not want a repeat of situations where students are unable to register for or sit the Ujian Penilaian Kelas Al-Quran dan Fardhu Ain (UPKK) examination.
"Without proper registration, it will be difficult for any Islamic educational institution to receive the allocations or provisions intended for them," he added.
It was reported earlier this month that a religious school in Puchong was found to be unregistered, leaving 80 students ineligible for this year's UPKK.
Zulkifli told the Lower House that Jakim has begun training using artificial intelligence (AI) technology for teachers in maahad tahfiz and pondok institutions in the Federal Territories and Selangor.
He said the department has also developed the e-RPH digital lesson-plan system and expanded initiatives such as the SMART Murabbi e-learning platform.
On Quran and Fardu Ain (Kafa) teachers, Zulkifli said the government is studying the promotion of Kafa supervisors’ contracts from Grades S1 to S5.
"We have already started the Kafa Perdana pilot programme. The Service Contract Scheme for Kafa teachers under Grade S1 is also underway," he added.
Kamal Ashaari (PN-Kuala Kurau) had asked if the government planned to introduce a National Training Standard certification for tahfiz teachers, especially those in schools registered under Jakim.
