Groups accuse Nie Ching of jumping the gun on khat
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DEPUTY Education Minister Teo Nie Ching jumped the gun by issuing a statement saying that a consensus had been reached on the khat issue after a meeting with Chinese and Tamil groups on Tuesday, said the attendees.
They told The Malaysian Insight that many things that were not discussed with the deputy minister, including details on the teaching and content of khat calligraphy.
A source at the meeting said Teo explained her stand on their request to set aside the khat lessons for further discussion but reminded them not to reveal that to the media.
After the meeting at Putrajaya, Teo said Chinese and Tamil education groups have agreed to allow khat calligraphy to be taught after initially opposing the move.
“We have agreed that it is not a problem to introduce khat writing. The intention is to introduce the art of khat calligraphy and not to learn Jawi,” she said.
However, the groups denied that was the case, saying that no such consensus was reached at the meeting.
Lim Lian Geok Cultural Development Centre chairman Lau Chee Boon, who was also present, said the confusion could have been avoided if Teo had issued a joint statement with the groups.
“There were many things we did not discuss with the ministry, including the details on teaching and content of khat calligraphy and how they were going to improve it in the curriculum.
“When we met her (Teo), we asked her to put aside the proposal first.
“We need a lot more discussions before we can decide on anything,” he told The Malaysian Insight.
Lau added that Teo’s announcement was premature and a joint statement could have avoided any different interpretation on the outcome of the discussions between the education groups and the deputy minister.
“We hope that in the future, anything that is related to Chinese and Tamil education would be discussed with all interested parties first, prior to any implementation.
Dong Zong, or the United Chinese School Committees’ Association, yesterday said no consensus was reached to accept khat’s inclusion in the year four Bahasa Malaysia syllabus for vernacular schools next year, contradicting Teo’s statement.
The group said it wanted more discussions to take place before the move is implemented.
Following that, Tamil Foundation Malaysia also rejected the teaching of khat calligraphy to year four pupils, saying no consensus on the matter was reached during the meeting with Teo. – August 8, 2019.