This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on August 9, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: Khat (Jawi calligraphy) will be introduced as an optional lesson in the Bahasa Malaysia syllabus for Year Four next year, Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik said.

This was decided by the cabinet following objections to its introduction as a compulsory part of the syllabus, he said at a press conference in Putrajaya yesterday, Bernama reported.

“The cabinet decided that the introduction of khat will be optional, with teachers given the power to decide how to use their creativity to implement it in their respective classrooms,” he said.

Maszlee said the introduction of khat would be contained in three pages of the Bahasa Melayu textbook instead of six pages as announced earlier.

Maszlee said the ministry would, from time to time, continue holding engagement sessions with all quarters for the benefits of the national education system.

He said the introduction of khat is mainly aimed at introducing the Malay heritage to students. The ministry will only introduce students to what is already close to them, such as the khat and Jawi script found on the Coat of Arms of Malaysia and the states, on banknotes, on the Declaration of Independence or on the Royal Malaysia Police logo, he said.

“This is not about Arabicisation or Islamisation. It’s about introducing our children to the culture and history of Bahasa Melayu. It’s about respecting the existing culture and heritage,” he said.