Accreditation of Islamic Religious Teachers under Asatizah Recognition Scheme

1 Mr Zainal Sapari asked the Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) what is the number of Islamic religious teachers in Singapore who are registered under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) since it started; (b) whether the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) or the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association (PERGAS) has conducted an engagement with religious teachers who are not registered with ARS to understand the reasons or barriers to their registration; (c) whether the accreditation levels are benchmarked to an internationally recognised body; (d) whether PERGAS is the right entity to spearhead the mandatory registration of asatizahs given that MUIS will have no control over their membership and leadership; (e) whether the mandatory registration of asatizahs requires an amendment to the Administration of Muslim Law Act; and (f) what is the development plan for ARS going forward.

The Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim): Madam, since 2005, by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) and the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association (PERGAS), the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) currently recognises 1,805 asatizahs, which are about 80% of those providing Islamic education in Singapore. It is an inclusive system that recognises asatizahs from various schools of thought, so long as they meet the standards and training requirements set by the Asatizah Recognition Board (ARB), which comprises senior asatizahs.

In January 2015, ARS was enhanced with the introduction of a further requirement for ARS asatizahs to attain ARS renewal every three years by completing 30 hours of training. This training requirement is part of a larger Continuous Professional Education (CPE) programme for our asatizahs. The courses within the CPE programme support the professional development of our asatizahs and help update them on contemporary issues and challenges related to the socio-religious life of our Malay/Muslim community. Through this, our ARS asatizahs are better equipped to serve and retain the confidence of the community.

MUIS, PERGAS and ARB have been working hand in hand to strengthen the ARS to ensure that our asatizahs have the appropriate qualifications and training, anchored in our multiracial and multi-religious context. With effect from 1 January 2017, all asatizahs who provide religious guidance and Islamic education will be required to be under ARS. MUIS and PERGAS will continue to reach out and offer additional training to those who do not yet qualify under ARS to facilitate their registration. They will have up to one year to qualify.

The idea of having a mandatory ARS is not new. In fact, it was proposed by senior asatizahs more than a decade ago but our focus at that time was on developing a suite of quality ARS programmes to benefit our asatizahs. It is important that our asatizahs have recognised these benefits for themselves and see the value of ARS. Now, with the asatizah fraternity's strong support and the calls from community leaders for mandatory ARS, the time is right to strengthen ARS further.

Madam, while other countries may have their own recognition systems, ARB has been mindful to adapt and implement only what is relevant and compatible to our local context. ARS does not consist only of PERGAS alone. Rather, ARS is a joint effort by MUIS, PERGAS and ARB. The Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) already provides MUIS with broad powers, but we will provide for additional measures, if necessary.

MUIS, together with PERGAS and ARB, will continue to engage the relevant stakeholders on the implementation of mandatory ARS, including our religious and community leaders, Malay/Muslim organisations, and private Islamic education centres, in the coming months. With their support, ARS will continue to evolve to serve the needs of our community.

Mdm Speaker: Mr Zainal Sapari.

Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol): I thank the Minister. I have two related supplementary questions. Some private madrasahs engage teachers who are not formally trained to be asatizahs to teach in their respective madrasahs. Would these teachers be required to register themselves as well? My second supplementary question is: what offence would a non-ARS registered person be committing if found teaching religious education to the public, especially those in private settings, such as homes?

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Madam, to the first question, as I mentioned in my reply, everyone, or every agency or provider will have one year to qualify. So, we will work with them. If they have teachers who have been teaching but who do not meet ARS requirements, we will work with them to draw up a transition plan. As mentioned in my reply, we want to be as inclusive as possible.

To the Member's second question, MUIS will also put in place rules and regulations to make sure that our Islamic education providers, including the private Islamic education providers, engage only ARS teachers. Yet, at the same time, we must also educate the public on which teachers are to be engaged and also which should not. So, the list of ARS teachers is already made available online. We hope that parents who want to run home classes will engage those who are already on the list. Centres that flout the regulations will, in fact, face some regulatory measures.

Mdm Speaker: Mr Faisal Manap.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied): Mdm Speaker, I have one supplementary question for the Minister. I want to know whether ARS will apply to non-Singaporean religious teachers, especially for those who are invited to Singapore to give sermons and speeches on Islam? If not, then how do we ensure that they maintain the same standards as the ARS-registered teachers?

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Madam, those who are invited to Singapore to give public talks, as we know, will have to apply for Miscellaneous Work Pass through the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). MUIS works together with MOM to ensure that those who are invited in will meet our requirements.