Chinese and Tamil education groups: Postpone khat introduction

Chinese and Tamil education groups have urged Putrajaya to postpone the introduction of khat to vernacular primary schools.

The Education Ministry plans to include six pages on Jawi calligraphy writing in next year’s Standard 4 Bahasa Malaysia textbook.

Speaking on behalf of the groups today, Dong Zong (United Chinese School Committees' Association) president Tan Tai Kim urged the ministry to better explain the initiative before rolling it out.

“We remain cautious and wary of the Education Ministry’s statement (on introducing khat) because there are still many things which need to be clearly explained.

“[...] Before the ministry clearly explains these details to the public, we are of the view that the initiative should be postponed pending further discussions,” he read from a joint statement at a press conference at the Dong Jiao Zong building in Kajang.