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| Brunei Darussalam Page last updated at 20:52 +0800,Friday, 30 July 2010 |
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His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Muizzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has once again questioned the reasons for the weakness in the religious education system that still does not make religious schooling compulsory in the country, even though the system has existed for 50 years. His Majesty made the titah during his visit to the Seri Begawan Religious Teachers University College, KUPU SB this morning. His Majesty expressed anxiety that not making religious education compulsory, will bring about social ills among children and people in this country. His Majesty said the country needs the Religious Teachers University College in response to the requirements of time, time which is regarded as one of progress but at the same time His Majesty said an era of destruction involving the morality of mankind regardless of age groups.
His Majesty Titah 1
Social ills and scourges occur increasingly in the homes, at schools and higher learning institutions and unsurprisingly at other places as well. Drugs,crimes, hooliganism and sex are no longer discreet but fill up the pages of newspapers, magazines and the internet as though parents have admitted defeat and no longer able to play any role. It is in this predicament that we have only one more cure remaining, that is religious education. I fully believe we are still able to cure the social ills that are currently widespread with religious education.This is why I will not budge from underscoring that religious subjects must be made compulsory in the National Education System for the 21st Century rather than being merely squeezed between other controversial subjects. In this regard,I continue to see the importance of religious schools. Why religious schooling has not been made compulsory? For 50 years we have had this liberal system, nonetheless, there have been no changes made rendering this system stagnant although requirements call for changes. I have emphasised for a long time that the system needed to be changed for reasons that by not making religious schooling compulsory means we maintain a gap between religion-literate people on the one hand, and religion illiterates on the other. I wonder why? Is it because we regard that non-compulsory religious schooling to be better than the compulsory? If so, what is our position in terms of knowledge? There have been no efforts to revise this non-compulsory system although 50 years have passed. There is no effort to reassess its positive or negative effects and we have continued to remain silent for the past 50 years. Do we not see any adversity arising from this silence?For 50 years the people have been allowed to choose whether they wish to attend religious school or on the contrary. Those who do so are taught, and those who choose not to attend religious school are left to conduct themselves on their own. Is this the right stand?
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