KUCHING: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Women’s Wing is of the opinion that it is acceptable but not essential to learn khat, Chinese or other styles of calligraphy in schools.
“From our perspective, it is a learning and expression in the form of art and thus we feel that khat, if it is a must to introduce in schools, should be more appropriate as a component in the art syllabus and not in the Malay language syllabus,” said its women chief Datuk Seri Doris Brodie (pic).
She said the Education Ministry under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government should instead look at education from a bigger and broader perspective.
“The emphasis should be on improving our education standard so that our products can help boost our nation’s growth and progression,” she stressed.
Doris said this is so that students could be internationally competent instead of dwelling on issues of lesser importance like calligraphy, shoe colour, etc.
“When the Education Ministry introduces changes to our education system, let it be something of quality and value.
“Don’t do it just for the sake of doing it. There must be a framework of useful and effective
learning,” she pointed out.
PRS Women Wing’s secretary and Education Bureau chief Misiah Abdullah pointed out that Education Ministry should focus more on looking at areas that could help to make school life more fun.
“Education must never be over-stretching and burdening young students with too many subjects in schools,” she said.
Khat, she said should not be imposed as a compulsory
subject.
“Students should be given the option to choose because not everybody is artistic and linguistic in nature,” she added.
It would be more meaningful instead for the ministry to focus on the education system and ensure a good balance between academic and living skills so that the country could produce future generations of substance.
