Jawi Will Still Be Introduced In Vernacular School But Only If PIBG Agrees To It

The statement was posted on the Ministry's official Facebook page.

"On 14 August, the Cabinet had once again discussed the issue of introducing Jawi writing in the Bahasa Melayu syllabus to Year Four students in vernacular schools beginning 2020," the statement read.

"In the latest discussion, the Cabinet has decided to uphold the previous week's decision to continue with the introduction of Jawi, but it will only be carried out if it has been agreed on by the Parent Teacher Association (PIBG) as well as parents and students of the vernacular school," the statement explained.

The other changes include:

- A cut from six pages to only three pages within the textbook,
- The segment will be named 'Introduction to Jawi script',
- Only Jawi basics will be taught and this will not include 'khat',
- Taught as an elective to Year Four students in 2020, Year Five students in 2021, and Year Six students in 2022.

The Ministry of Education stressed that the segment will not be evaluated in any tests of examinations.

"The Ministry of Education hopes that the Cabinet's decision on this matter would no longer be inaccurately depicted to the extent of causing confusion among the public," the statement read.

"The Ministry will continue to engage all parties for the benefit of the national education system."