Selection and Appointment of Members in Committee on Future Asatizah
Ministry of Sustainability and the EnvironmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the selection criteria and appointment process for the Committee on Future Asatizah (COFA), as raised by Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap. Senior Minister of State Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman stated that Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura appointed members to ensure strong representation from senior and young asatizah, madrasah leaders, and community figures. The committee also includes professionals and academics from non-religious fields to advise on industry trends and work-relevant skills, such as social work and counselling. These appointments aim to develop an asatizah workforce that balances a strong grounding in religious knowledge with the competencies needed to meet the community's evolving socio-religious needs. Senior Minister of State Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman added that COFA continues to extensively engage over 400 stakeholders and the general public to gather feedback and suggestions.
Transcript
5 Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap asked the Minister for Environment and Water Resources and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) who is involved in the selection and appointment of the members of the recently announced Committee on Future Asatizah (COFA); and (b) what are the criteria used in the selection and appointment of these members to COFA.
The Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs (Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman) (for the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs): Mr Speaker, Sir, Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) established the Committee on Future Asatizah (COFA) in March 2019 to advance thinking about the skills and competencies of future asatizah and advise on strategies to develop the asatizah workforce. Future asatizah need to be equipped with strong grounding in religious knowledge as well as with work-relevant skills.
In selecting the COFA members, MUIS considered two key factors. First, COFA needs strong representation from the asatizah fraternity, since its work has a direct impact on asatizah, as well as from the Malay/Muslim community leaders. Both senior and young asatizah, including madrasah leaders, have been appointed to the COFA as they offer important perspectives on the key attributes of future asatizah and how to nurture them.
Second, the COFA includes professionals and academics from different fields who can advise on industry trends and continuing education and training in non-religious sectors where asatizah can contribute, such as in social work and counselling.
Since its establishment, the COFA has been engaging key stakeholders and the wider community extensively. More than 400 individuals have participated, including senior asatizah, representatives from Muslim organisations, Islamic education providers and VWOs, professionals and business owners, academics, youths, Islamic studies undergraduates, madrasah educators, religious officers and members of the mosque fraternity. Members of the public can also give their feedback and suggestions through an online portal. Through the COFA engagements, the wider community will be able to share their aspirations for our future asatizah and how they can better meet the evolving socio-religious needs of the community.