Referring to the views expressed by Centre for Global Affairs (ICON) president Abdul Razak Baginda on religion bringing a negative impact to the national education system, Tajuddin said the statement was problematic as the latter had singled out religion as the problem.
“The bigger issues were the teachers of the religion, the manner in which religion is taught in schools, and the idea on how to look at religion as a nation building construct,” he told FMT.
Tajuddin added that the teachers themselves are not exposed to the larger framework of the religion.
“Back then, the religious teachers were educated in the madrasah context of a homogenous society, but today, it is different as we are now multi-racial and multi-religious.
“These religious teachers spend a lifetime in the madrasah, and they are not exposed to other cultures and religions.
“So the issue is with the religious teachers failing to understand the value and dignity of human beings within a democratic and nation-building construct,” he said.
Tajuddin had previously suggested that the education ministry assign teachers to undergo a two-week training programme in religious and cultural sensitivities.
He lamented that a lack of exposure has led to issues like what is halal and haram, and has given rise to the likes of controversial Islamic preacher Zamihan Mat Zin and Shahul Hamid.
Zamihan had gained notoriety over his support for a Muslims-only laundrette in Johor, while Shahul was at the centre of apparently using the word “haram” in advising Muslims not to patronise non-Muslim hairdressers.
“This has spilled over into racial and religious conflict because of the narrow perspective of religion,” he said.
Razak told a forum entitled “Malaysian Education: Where are we heading” on Tuesday night, that the growing prominence of religion in schools has had a negative impact on the education system.
“Religion has crept in, reared its ugly head in our schools and our educational institutions. It has a negative impact.
“Religion is now prominent in our schools. There is too much religion in the system, but no politician will dare say it. Someone will accuse them of being anti-Islam,” he said.