JOHOR BAHRU, July 3 — The Johor government is expanding the Sekolah Rintis Bangsa Johor (SRBJ) initiative to religious education with the establishment of the first Sekolah Agama Rintis Bangsa Johor (SARBJ) this year.

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the initiative is the brainchild of the Regent of Johor, Tunku Mahkota Ismail, to comprehensively transform the state’s education system. 

“Alhamdulillah, the Sekolah Rintis Bangsa Johor initiative is the Regent of Johor’s brainchild. 

“We have already established four schools, two primary and two secondary schools. We will now establish a religious school,” he told reporters after officiating the 28th Johor Government Religious Teachers’ Day celebration and the closing of the State Islamic Education Convention at Arena Larkin Indoor Stadium here today. 

Also present were State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid and Johor police chief Datuk Ab. Rahaman Arsad. 

He said the state government would further expand the approach to early childhood education by establishing a pilot kindergarten. 

Earlier, Mohd Fared announced that the Johor government had approved the construction of the first SARBJ in Kota Iskandar this year, thus extending the SRBJ initiative to religious education institutions in the state. 

The four existing SRBJ schools are Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Seri Kota Puteri 2 and Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Seri Kota Puteri 4 in Pasir Gudang, as well as SMK Tasek Utara and SK Tasek Utara in Johor Bahru. 

The SRBJ initiative aims to transform the state’s education system through digital learning, multilingual proficiency, character development, teacher empowerment, and the provision of high-quality educational facilities. 

The construction of SARBJ is expected to complement the state government’s efforts to expand the approach into the religious education system. — Bernama