PETALING JAYA, July 13 ― Making Islamic and Asian Civilisation Studies (TITAS) compulsory for all students at private institutions of higher learning (IPTS) is unfair and “a step backward from national harmony”, according to MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu (picture).
Beginning September 1, the Ministry of Education is making TITAS one of three mandatory subjects for all new IPTS registrants regardless of religion. The other two subjects are Ethnic Relations and Malaysian Studies.
“Ours is a plural society. We shall all endeavour to maintain this blissful nation with its rich diversity. To make study of a single religion-civilisation compulsory for non-followers of that religion-civilisation is a step backward from national harmony,” Gan said in a statement today.
“The ministry should instead introduce the general studies of all major religions-civilisations in secondary schools to promote better understanding and goodwill amongst our younger generation.”
Gan added that students at the university level must be given the choice of what subjects to study, rather than have the decision forced upon them.
“Tertiary education shall provide training for technical, specialised and academic studies of various disciplines. Even if religion-civilisation studies are provided as part of a university course, it should be made elective, instead of compulsory subject, as is the practice of top-ranked universities in the world.”
In a rare moment of solidarity, DAP Seremban MP Anthony Loke echoed Gan’s call to make TITAS an optional component, saying that forcing the subject onto students would create a negative impression of the matter instead of fostering communal understanding.
“DAP believes that understanding the diversity of civilisations is beneficial and should be encouraged in our education system. In fact, DAP has previously organised different dialogue (inter-civilisational dialogues) to foster understanding and mutual respect among the various races in Malaysia,” Loke said in a statement today.
“The values from the history of Islamic and Asian civilisation must be nurtured not only at tertiary level but should be infused into the syllabus at secondary level, such as in History and General Studies.
“As such, making the subject mandatory in private institutions is unnecessary,” Loke added.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also education minister, said in Parliament on Thursday that TITAS will become mandatory for new students in IPTS starting in September.
According to him, the move was meant to streamline the requirements between private and public institutions of higher learning and considers the requirements of both local and international students.
But the move has raised concerns among parents and some IPTS, who said the move was unfair and burdensome to students.
The decision to conduct TITAS classes and the two other compulsory subjects in Bahasa Malaysia also drew criticism from one IPTS administrator who noted that this may handicap foreign students or those from outside the national school system.
