KUALA LUMPUR, 30 Nov — All quarters should respect the government’s decision to have Jawi writing taught to pupils in Chinese and Tamil schools, following a court ruling  in allowing the jawi script to be taught in vernacular schools, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa.

He said this in response to a decision by a Penang High Court last Thursday in dismissing a suit by Gerakan to challenge the government’s decision to implement the teaching of jawi script in vernacular schools.

"With Gerakan taking the matter to court and the court having made a ruling that the jawi script can be taught in Chinese and Tamil schools, then we should all respect the decision.

"It’s not a political decision, but a decision by the court,” he told reporters after opening an International Academic Seminar: Exploring the Future of Education, ‘Concepts, Methodologies and Pragmatics’ here today.

Gerakan filed the suit last September through its president, Dominic Lau Hoe Chai, who named Education Minister Maszlee Malik, his deputy Teo Nie Ching and the Federal Government as respondents.

On child marriage, Mujahid said there was still hope for all states in the country to amend the legal minimum age limit of marriage to 18.

However, he said, six states agreed to tighten the standard operating procedures (SOP)  on the minimum marriage age limit.

So far, only Selangor had amended the minimum age limit for marriage, while the Federal Territory is in the process of amending it.

Penang, Sabah, Johor, Melaka, Perak and Kedah had agreed to amend their laws on the minimum age limit for marriage, while Sarawak, Pahang, Terengganu, Perlis, Negri Sembilan and Kelantan are against amending their laws on the matter. — Bernama