Ahmad Zahid: Tahfiz Education Empowerment Key To Nurturing Well-rounded Huffaz

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 (Bernama) -- Efforts to empower tahfiz education across all levels underscore the government’s commitment to nurturing a generation of well-rounded professional huffaz with spiritual, intellectual and practical skills, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

He emphasised that empowering the Malays should not focus solely on economic progress and must go hand in hand with building spiritual strength, making tahfiz education a strategic national asset rather than a marginal concern.

“Empowering the Malays requires building not just economic strength but also spiritual strength. This is why I see tahfiz education as a strategic asset of the nation,” he said in his speech at the Malay Education Empowerment Convention at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) here today.

Also present were UMNO secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki and UMNO Supreme Working Council (MKT) member and chairman of the Malay Education Empowerment Convention Secretariat Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi.

Ahmad Zahid said the government was building a holistic generation of professional huffaz through the implementation of the National Tahfiz Policy 2.0, the Pre-Tahfiz and Ulul Albab programmes at all MARA Junior Science Colleges, and the recognition of the Malaysian Tahfiz Certificate, which is equivalent to the Malaysian Skills Certificate Level 3.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the approach was part of a long-term strategy to build a Malay middle class grounded in values, producing a generation that is knowledgeable, ethical, skilled and competitive in the modern economy.

He said that in addition to tahfiz education, efforts to position Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a new elite pathway for Malays must be strengthened, given that the field offered salary and career opportunities comparable to those in academic streams.

Ahmad Zahid added that the programme offered a well-defined development path, progressing from certificate to diploma and ultimately to professional level.

“I want to see more pilots, technologists, accountants and entrepreneurs who are also al-Hafiz (persons who memorise the Quran). That is my personal ambition. I also hope that one day, even the country’s top leaders, including the Prime Minister, will be al-Hafiz,” he said.

Ahmad Zahid also said that the TVET and Tahfiz curriculum should adopt Project-Based Learning (PBL) approaches that addressed real-world industry issues, with a value module incorporated to foster integrity and a strong sense of identity.

“Teaching methods must be active, using simulation and work-based learning. When technical skills, Tahfiz education, and industry networks are combined, nsya-Allah, we will produce a Malay workforce that is morally upright, skilled and highly valuable to the national economy,” he said.

--BERNAMA