MELAKA: Malaysia aims to produce 125,000 professional huffaz (Quran memorisers) by 2050 by integrating Quranic education with TVET, higher education and advanced technology skills, according to Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic).
The Deputy Prime Minister said the target is in line with the National Transformation Programme 2050 (TN50) vision of producing huffaz who are proficient in Quranic memorisation and equipped to contribute to the country’s key sectors.
According to Ahmad Zahid, about 12,500 professional huffaz had been produced so far, while opportunities for tahfiz and pondok school students to pursue higher education at Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) and six universities under the Malaysian Technical Universities Network (MTUN) would be expanded from 2027.
“We are confident that by providing tahfiz and pondok school students who have memorised the Quran with access to UniKL and the six MTUN universities, we can achieve the target of producing 125,000 professional huffaz by 2050,” he said after attending a programme here yesterday.
He said clearer pathways into technical and professional higher education would enable huffaz to acquire specialised skills and professional qualifications to meet the country’s future workforce needs.
Earlier, Ahmad Zahid, who is also National TVET Council chairman, said tahfiz students should have clear educational pathways from school to higher education, TVET and professional careers, allowing them to pursue fields suited to their interests and abilities.
“We do not want tahfiz students to feel that they have only one path in life. Their mastery of the Quran can instead serve as a foundation for pursuing various fields according to their interests and abilities,” he said, Bernama reported.
Ahmad Zahid also encouraged tahfiz students to explore artificial intelligence, robotics, the digital economy and advanced technology, not merely as users but also as creators capable of developing solutions to real-world problems.
He also expressed his aspiration for Malaysia to one day have a prime minister who is an al-Hafiz or al-Hafizah and possesses the knowledge, integrity and ability to govern the country.
