Call To Improve IRK Subject
By Azrol Azmi & Yusrin Junaidi

Bandar Seri Begawan - In An effort to better incorporate the Islamic Religious Knowledge subject amongst students of non-religious _secondary schools, a discussion between the Ministry of Religious Affairs and religious school teachers was held yesterday at the Islamic Dakwah Centre.

Minister of Religious Affairs, Pehin Dato Dr Ustaz Hj Mohd Zain, and Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Dato PadukaAwang Haji Ishaaq, met with heads of secondary school religious teachers for Form Four and Form Five.

Also attending the discussion were Assistant Director of Islamic Education and senior officers from the ministry. This is the third such meeting held between both sides.

The event began with the recitation of Surah al-Fatihah by Hj Yusof bin Hj Minudin, followed by welcoming remarks by Islamic Education Officer, Brunei IV, Hj Idris bin Hj Aji.

IRK has been incorporated as part of the secondary school curriculum under the Ministry of Education since 1965 for the Brunei Junior Certificate Examination, GCE `O' Level and GCE `A' level.

Currently, 42 secondary schools nationwide have incorporated IRK in their curriculum, 27 of which are in Brunei-Muara District, five in Tutong, nine in Kuala Belait and one in Temburong.

The objective of IRK is to equip students with religious knowledge, with no exceptions or exemptions, as cited in His Majesty the Sultan and. Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam's titah in conjunction with the 1428 Hijrah new year celebrations.

In line with that, it was proposed that the IRK subject should be given priority in all levels of education.

Among the aims of IRK are to instil and encourage Islamic religion education among students, which is a must for Muslim students to practise on a daily basis. The subject also aims to inculcate and develop a healthy spiritual life based on Islamic religion as a guide for students and for the benefit of the race, nation and religion.

The discussion was chaired by Dayang Hajah Asmah Haji Rendah, senior officer from the Islamic Education Department.

Among suggestions tabled by the Minister of Religious Affairs was for religious teachers and officers from the Islamic Religious Department to choose 'Surah' relevant to 'Akidah' and current issues. The minister added that 'Hadith' on good relations amongst people should be highlighted as Islam encourages good relationships with all regardless of religion.

Pehin Dato Dr Ustaz Hj Mohd Zain also spoke on the importance of children respecting their elders and obeying their parents.

Also discussed during the meeting was the need for the current curriculum to be updated and made suitable to the students' age. Proper amendments and necessary changes should also be made to the subject. In addition, some of the textbooks available should be tailored so that its contents and language are appropriate for students in different age categories.

There was also a suggestion to provide workbooks and standardise the number of periods for the subject at all levels of education in schools. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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