YOURSAY | ‘Maszlee could have defused this by spelling out what he meant by ‘optional’.’

Khat lessons subject to PTA approval, to be referred as 'Jawi lessons'

Gerard Lourdesamy: This is a fair and reasonable compromise. It has effectively become an elective subject in Chinese and Tamil national-type primary schools.

Enough of polemics on this. Chinese educationist group Dong Zong should cease making further statements and accept this decision with an open heart.

Even I studied Jawi in the 1970s in a Catholic mission primary school, and I did not become a Muslim.

Proarte: Bravo! Well done. Unfortunately, Education Minister Maszlee Malik could easily have defused the furore by spelling out clearly what he meant by “optional."

He refused to be specific, which was plain political mischief-making, but it has undermined him. No one now has a good word to say about his competence or intelligence for that matter.

Now that khat learning is it purely optional with parents, teachers and students having a choice in the matter, it will no longer be an issue.

Indeed, Islamic calligraphy is a beautiful art form and it would be good if students opt to learn it and develop calligraphic skills.

Zong Dong: Indeed, let us move on. This deal is not perfect, but it is okay to accept.

There are many other problems to solve. Enough of arguing over khat. Chinese, Malays and Indians, let’s close rank and move forward.

Anonymous_b3cdcd05: By right, artistic skills related subjects such as Malay, Arabic, Chinese calligraphy must be elective and taught under the Art subject, not under Bahasa Malaysia, especially since there is no test or assessment on it.

Previously, calling khat “optional” to appease the critics, but slyly pushing it to the teachers to decide was a shameful cop-out by Maszlee and gang.

Teachers should not be made scapegoats and victims for the nonsensical blunders that go on in the Education Ministry. The latest decision to empower parent-teacher associations is a more acceptable alternative.

All this brouhaha branding others as racist could have been avoided if only Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Maszlee had listened to the people.

Non-Malays are not against learning from each other’s culture, be it Indian, Chinese or Malay.

What they do not want is a unilateral decision on race and religion being forced down on them under whatever guises. Let this be a lesson for PKR, DAP and Amanah.

Newday: Since when do PTAs run education policy? Come on Education Ministry, stop trying to appease everyone. Dump it or do it.

Kawak: Learning Jawi is actually very simple. You need just weeks to be able to read and write in Jawi. But unfortunately, Jawi is no longer in use today.

Many years ago, we had Utusan Melayu in Jawi, but many Malays today don't know how to read Jawi anymore.

Knowing to read and write Jawi does not mean you are Muslim, but learning it will not help you with living skills.

Wg321: Can we earn a living by drawing khat calligraphy in order to sell to the tourists? If we can’t, why waste our time?

We must always learn any skill that can put food on the table like science, technology, mathematics, computer coding, artificial intelligence, etc.

What are our priorities in competing with emerging economic tigers like Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia? With the help of China, economic lions are emerging from Africa like Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania.

Where is Malaysia? Still an economic tiger cub after 40 years with the wrong educational policies like lowering down the passing marks for public examinations, learning khat, and so on.

Anonymous_1560865429524: They are still determined to push this through, but at least it’s now subject to approval by PTAs.

This will only make national schools become even more unattractive.

Mohd Isnin: Yes, now we know why national schools are not the first choice of parents.

Too much of time is wasted on nonsense that is shuffled down the throats of students that they have become useless and unemployable. God save the future generations.

Anonymous_74a4f2f6: Indeed, no PTA from national-type schools is going to approve it. Why introduce it?

The Education Ministry needs to come up with more constructive ideas to lift up the minds of young students.

Mano: Go and see how the PTAs work. The headteachers are trying to please district and state education departments and the Education Ministry, and will do what is expected of them. Only then, can the headteachers get promotions and excellence awards.

The headteachers then manoeuvre the PTAs to their wish, or rather the ministry’s wishes. Teachers, even with no children in the school, have voting rights equal to a parent.

Please, lots of things happen in schools, and most are not for the good of the children. Everyone has a hidden agenda.

Those who can afford it go off to private schools. Nowadays, I hear more Malays are there too, trying to avoid all this rubbish.

Anonymous_1564716714052.76951564715740076: So, the ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd) and Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) can be reversed, but not khat.

What say you DAP, or should it be rebranded as MCA 2.0?

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