SHAH ALAM - A total of 4,000 Community Development Department (Kemas) tabika (kindergarten) classes nationwide are expected to be involved in the Pre-Tahfiz Kindergarten programme next year.
Its director-general Datuk Ahmad Kamal Idris Mohd Nawawi said the implementation of the hafazan programme, aimed at producing small huffaz (Quran memorisers), in collaboration with Yayasan Pahang, aimed at instilling a love for the Quran as early as five and six years old.
"This programme is being implemented in 100 classes nationwide, as a pilot project to train the teachers involved, in collaboration with Yayasan Pahang as a strategic partner.
"We have 10,840 kindergarten classes, and the programme will be expanded to 4,000 classes respectively in 2024 and 2025, while the rest are classes for non-Muslims, but also equipped with spiritual education,” he said.
He was met after the closing ceremony of the national-level Kemas Kindergarten Potential Day 2023, officiated by the Selangor Rural Development, Unity and Consumer Committee chairman, Datuk Rizam Ismail, at Shah Alam Independence Square today.
Earlier, Ahmad Kamal Idris, in his speech, said that a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Yayasan Pahang regarding the programme will be signed on Tuesday (Nov 7), at the Kemas Community Activity Centre in Kampung Sri Batu, Kuala Lumpur.
The media previously reported that Kemas is aiming at producing 100,000 young huffaz from its kindergartens by 2026, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Rural and Regional Development Minister said that the target was in line with the implementation of the Kemas Pre-Tahfiz Kindergarten programme, which began in July, in collaboration with Yayasan Pahang.
The three-day Kemas Kindergarten Potential Day 2023, starting on Nov 3, is a talent-unearthing event, which focuses on building the character of children of the digital era, based on the principle of moral strength, in line with the skill requirements of the 21st century. - BERNAMA