YOURSAY ‘Having messed up public education to a point where no repair is even remotely possible, it's time to do the same with private education.'

'Islamic Civilisation' to be a must in private varsities

Primus: I am not against civilisation studies but why ‘Islamic Civilisation' specifically? If the minister does see the need to study civilisation, students should be given more options.

In any event, shouldn't the ancient history of Southeast Asia be a subject that we should learn more about?

Clever Voter: University education should be holistic and such experience should be one that maximises freedom for students.

If Islamic Civilisation is one that is regarded as a topic every student must know, then choices must be provided. Bringing in line with public universities which are of inferior standards is one step backward.

Fair Play: Education broadens the mind and knowledge is power in today's environment. Knowledge about every civilisation is an added advantage to those who possess them.

Due to the siege mentality of the Malaysian rakyat generally, the reaction to Islamic Civilisation being made compulsory for private universities is understandable as everything is being shoved down their throat.

And no doubt politicians from both sides of the political divide are playing such issues to the hilt.

P Dev Anand Pillai: Learning about a religion and how it affected civilisation is a plus but perhaps it should be fairly applied to the majority as well.

Why not learn about Hindu and Christian civilisations? After all, the strength of faith among the Muslims is very high and strong so learning about Hinduism and Christianity is not going to make them Hindus or Christians. Let's be fair.

Wira: I can understand the necessity of Malaysian studies, or even National Civics Bureau (BTN)-type civic courses for private universities because BN wants to brainwash everyone.

But I cannot understand why non-Muslims are compelled to take Islamic Civilisation courses in private tertiary institutions if it is not for the purpose of proselytisation.

Abasir: Having messed up public education to a point where no repair is even remotely possible, it is time to do the same with private education.

After all, isn't it important to have a level-playing field and spread the mediocrity around?

Gggg: This is more like playing politics with our country's future. This put PAS and PKR in a difficult position. I see no hope for this country until we have a strong leader who can transcend both race and religion.

Good men: How is this subject of any relevance to getting a job? How many employers are going to be impressed when you tell them you have an A+ in Islamic Civilisation?

Dizzer: This will be a semi-joke subject, like the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) compulsory subjects foisted on the private institutions of higher learning. It also points to a fundamental contradiction in Malaysia's education direction.

The Education Ministry's own blueprint includes a very interesting chart plotting national education budget spend against student performance.

Every single Muslim country (including Malaysia which ranks alongside the Philippines and Botswana) is in the ‘fair' and ‘poor' category (with the vast majority being in the ‘poor' section).

I'm all in favour of teaching religion, but we need a big push to secularise our education system before the situation becomes irredeemable.

CiViC: Honestly Islamic Civilisation is something worth studying. I did that in Form Six (Sejarah Islam) and it's more interesting than Sejarah Malaysia. As long as it is not adulterated, knowledge has no negative impact.

TehTarik: There is every possibility that this ruling will result in fewer non-Muslim international students enrolling in Malaysia. No country that aspires to become an international education hub has compulsory history subjects.

This will particularly affect students from China, India and Westerners. It is also likely that the powerful owners of these private colleges will lobby the government to reverse this decision.

Remember, it is money that finally counts. Otherwise some of these colleges might go kaput.

AnSoN: Good, make all syllabus with Islamic studies compulsory at all levels and see if our graduates are going to be good for the job market and see if their business acumen is going to be on par with graduates of the earlier years.

If I interview a candidate and he or she tells me he scored A+ for religious studies or civilisation, I will ask the person about the value added to my organisation should I consider offering employment.

Anonymous #07910507: All the venom about Islam foaming at the mouth of these so-called objective commentators is out of ignorance of Islamic culture and civilisation.

You are living in a Muslim country, which is not necessarily an Islamic state, but you refuse to understand Muslims and harbour such deep hatred of Islam and Muslims fed by the Western media.

What is wrong in learning Islamic civilisation? It will help you to understand your Muslim colleague's behaviour, their strength and weakness. The course is not about Islam and but history of religion and their relationship among nations.

No wonder, Muslims are alienated from DAP. Ko Chung Sen, although an MP, is a real moron.

Thequest: Islamic Civilisation is only a small aspect of the total human civilisation. Why confine knowledge just to that bit of our heritage? What about our other heritage?

Paul Warren: This is not about wanting to ensure all citizens know and understand Islamic civilisation, the goodness of it, the successes and (maybe if they are honest about it) their failures as well.

This is not about getting you to have a soft spot about Islamic civilisation or Islam.

It's not about indoctrination either. It is about giving jobs to the thousands of Islamic graduates who have no job and who are unemployable.

Artong Penang: Private universities were allowed to be set up in this country so that more students can have access to better quality tertiary education.

It looks like now the goverment is going backwards. To force students to take up a subject that adds no value to their qualifications or skills is a waste of student's valuable time and their parent's money.

Politicians should stop being a champion of religion to score points and hope to be noticed by their own kind.

With this kind of backward thinking education minister around, it is no surprise that our Malaysian universities are ranked rock bottom in the world.

Hang Tuah PJ: It will be good to study about Islamic civilisation as long as the book is not written by someone from Malaysia where citizens are treated according to the colour of their skin and religion, which is very unIslamic.

It will also be good to study about Hinduism, Confucianism, Christianity, Buddhism, etc. Don't make only Islamic studies compulsory. Let the students select which they want to study.

Better still, study all civilisations so that Malaysians can understand one another well. That is the intention, isn't it?

Anonymous #67264380: This is another ploy to divert attention and make the rakyat fight over trivial issues. Another brilliant divide-and-rule policy.

It smells very much like former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. For those who have studied Islamic Civilisation would know that it has nothing to do with the Islamic religion but rather the who and whom of the Islamic faith.

Policymakers are using the sanctity of the religion to divide the people again. I believe ‘Malaysia History' would be more advantageous.

Parameswara: . The authorities in Malaysia do not cease to amaze me. Just when you think that we cannot go any lower, they are able to break the record time and again.

They are trying their level best to restrict freedom, thereby crippling our power to think and thus continue to keep them in power. Heaven help us if we go on like this.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .