Minister: Govt exploring Sijil Turath Malaysia implementation next year to give pondok students university pathway

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 14 — The Malaysian government is considering implementing the Sijil Turath Malaysia, set to be launched next year, to officially recognize pondok and turath students, paving the way for them to pursue higher education and develop careers, said Dr Zulkifli Hasan, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs).

This came after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the initiative during the Budget 2027 unveiling. "The Sijil Turath Malaysia is a government initiative to assess the recognition of pondok and turath institutions, providing students with a qualification to enter university and build their careers," explained Zulkifli at the International Sama’ Jami’ al-Tirmizi and al-Syamail al-Muhammadiyyah 2026 event.

The 11-day event, which will continue until Nov 23, is attended by international Islamic scholars and local intellectuals, with Anwar Ibrahim set to attend the closing ceremony. Zulkifli elaborated that the certificate would be obtained by local pondok and turath institutions, as well as any institution that adopts the syllabus recognised under the Sijil Turath Malaysia, equivalent to the current Sijil Tahfiz Malaysia.

The government aims to build a more systematic Islamic scholarly ecosystem, aligning with the Budget 2027 announcement to establish the Malaysian Pondok and Turath Advisory Council. The initiative seeks to preserve the traditional learning methods of pondok and turath institutions, including the 'talaqqi' method, the teacher-student bond, and mastery of classical Islamic texts, while also opening avenues for educational recognition, infrastructure development, digital skills, and AI mastery.

Additionally, religious affairs agencies have agreed to continue updating the translation of Sahih al-Bukhari, including enhancements in translation accuracy, spelling, terminology, and technical layout across all eight volumes, available in both physical and digital formats through the MyHadis portal.