General : SMKA Jempol To Become Country’s First Religious-stream TVET School - Fadhlina

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek announced on Tuesday that SMKA Jempol in Negeri Sembilan will be the country's first religious TVET school. The RM98 million project, spread across 14.22 hectares, will be constructed over three years under Malaysia's Education Blueprint 12 (RMK-12). This marks a shift from TVET being available only in vocational colleges or regular schools, as SMKA Jempol will pioneer the integration of religious education with TVET training.

Fadhlina expressed hope that the project will be completed on schedule, allowing the school to lead the implementation of religious TVET education in the nation. She emphasized that the newly built fully-residential school will feature administrative and academic blocks, equipped with 25 classrooms, laboratories, workshops, a library, a canteen, a mosque, a dining hall, and dormitories capable of accommodating 720 students.

Moreover, Fadhlina highlighted the importance of encouraging Muslim students to learn multiple languages as a crucial component of strengthening the country's da'wah agenda (propagation of Islam). Drawing inspiration from SMKA Sheikh Tahir Jalaluddin in Penang, the first da'wah school in Malaysia, the minister stated that religious school students should be proficient in Bahasa Melayu, as well as Mandarin, Tamil, English, and Arabic, alongside their primary language.

She reiterated that while Malay remains the primary language, students must also be proficient in other languages, underscoring the importance of linguistic skills in effectively conveying religious messages and conveying Islamic teachings.