Malay-Muslim leaders support compulsory registration for Islamic religious teachers in S’pore

SINGAPORE — The Malay-Muslim community leaders have welcomed the idea of making the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) compulsory for all religious teachers in Singapore.

The scheme recognises qualified Islamic religious teachers and scholars who meet the minimum standards of qualification to preach and teach Islamic religious knowledge.

Earlier this month, Dr Yaacob announced that the ARS will be extended to all local religious teachers. It was to provide assurance to the public, that religious teachers who provide religious guidance are well qualified and trained.

Currently, about 80 per cent of Muslim religious teachers are currently accredited under the scheme. The community leaders here felt the move to make ARS mandatory is a progressive and pro-active step.

Mdm Rahayu Mohamad, the president of PPIS (Persatuan Pemudi Islam Singapura), said this would make the community have more confidence “in terms of ensuring that whatever is actually delivered by the asatizah is something that is relevant and contextualised to modern living”.

“I think indirectly this will also increase the confidence of the parents in sending their children to madrasah or to the public sectors that is providing education that their children are put in the good hands,” he added.

Mr Abdul Hamid Abdullah, the chairman of the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) concurred that it was a good idea to make the ARS mandatory.

“I think (it) clearly signals not just to the Muslim community, but also to the rest of the community in Singapore, that we are concerned about getting the right, credible people to teach religious teachings,” he said.

However, one of the considerations, he added, was how to implement the plan. “I think that will be a great challenge because it won’t be easy to ensure that every person who is providing religious teachings is ultimately registered. There will be gaps and if that happens, what are the mechanisms in place to bring these people into the ARS scheme?”

The ARS was initially discussed in a closed door dialogue between Malay/Muslim leaders with the Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, and the Minister for Environment and Water Resources, Masagos Zulkifli, as part of regular engagements with the community.