KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — The Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) is confident that the Community Development Department (KEMAS) can produce a generation of Quran literate people through the Kemas Pre-Tahfiz Programme, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Ahmad Zahid who is also the Minister of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) said the programme is expected to produce a total of 100,000 young huffaz (Quran memorisers) by 2026.
He said this move can have an impact on the development of human capital as well as the well-being of Muslims as a whole.
“The Pre-Tahfiz Tabika KEMAS Module fully refers to the Hafazan Module of the Pahang Tahfiz Kindergarten with memorisation techniques and fun learning methods and for surahs (chapters) in juzu’ amma (last part of the Quran) and selected surahs with Recitation (Qiraat) Adab (conduct) and Tadabbur (contemplation).
“The Pre Tahfiz Tabika KEMAS module targets the involvement of at least 1,500 children who can read and memorise up to Surah Ad-Dhuha and are ready to enter Year One by the end of the 2023 school session,” he said.
He said this at the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between KEMAS and the Pahang Foundation which took place at the KEMAS Community Activity Centre in Kampung Seri Batu, Sentul here today.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah witnessed the signing of the MoA.
Also present were Menteri Besar Pahang Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and KKDW Deputy Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang.
Ahmad Zahid said the initiative to establish the Pre Tahfiz Tabika KEMAS programme is one of the strategic directions of KKDW this year to comprehensively develop rural human capital to empower Quranic education for children from an early age.
Ahmad Zahid said that through the MoA, the programme will use the Hafazan Module of the Pahang Tahfiz Kindergarten, advisory services, certificate of competence for instructors, certificate of completion of the module for kindergarten students, the establishment of the KEMAS-Yayasan Pahang monitoring committee, and the provision of teaching staff.
“This collaboration also involves the Tahfiz Al-Quran Institutions Foundation (Yayasan Pinta) and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) which helps in providing basic Al-Quran skills training such as tajwid (correct pronunciation) and mahraj (articulation) to Tabika KEMAS educators periodically at the parliament or state level throughout Malaysia,” he said.
The Unity Government, through Budget 2024 tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Oct 13, allocated RM20 million to implement the Pre Tahfiz Tabika KEMAS programme.
