Education Minister Maszlee Malik today claimed that his deputy was only ‘sharing’ efforts by the National Education Advisory Council (NEAC) to conduct a survey on Islamic Education with the aim of improving the subject.
However, the uproar on social media had nothing to do with Teo sharing efforts by the NEAC to improve Islamic Education, but the fact that she urged “all quarters regardless of race and religion to give their views and ideas.”
How would Teo feel if the NEAC suddenly proposed to regulate Buddhist Education classes at Buddhist temples and asked Muslims to chip in ideas on how to structure the syllabus?
SUBANG JAYA: Education Minister Maszlee Malik today denied that his deputy, Teo Nie Ching, tried to interfere in the Islamic Education syllabus.
In defending Teo, Maszlee claimed that his deputy was only ‘sharing’ efforts by the National Education Advisory Council (NEAC) to conduct a survey on Islamic Education with the aim of improving the subject.
‘‘The survey was issued on the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) web page and the deputy minister had shared it on her social media.
‘‘Then someone snapped a photograph (of the survey on her social media) and created an issue that the deputy minister allegedly wanted to interfere in the Islamic Education syllabus. That is not true,’’ he said.
But Maszlee is missing the point.
The uproar on social media had nothing to do with Teo sharing efforts by the NEAC to improve Islamic Education, but the fact that she urged “all quarters regardless of race and religion to give their views and ideas.”
What would the Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus and Christians know about Islam?
Teo should have emphasised that the views and ideas by non-Muslims should only be restricted to areas that do not concern the Quran and the Sunnah, such as the implementation of Islamic Education in multi-religious environments.
Perhaps, a non-Muslim parent could give his (or her) ideas on what his (or her) son or daughter should be taught while Muslims attend Islamic classes.
How would Teo feel if the NEAC suddenly proposed to regulate Buddhist Education at Buddhist temples and asked Muslims to chip in ideas on how to structure the syllabus?