Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Islamic Religious Council (Muis) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) sealed a strategic cooperation to address the shortage of Islamic Education teachers in Sabah.
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif said Muis and UMS signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) recently to produce 40 qualified people teaching Islamic Education in Islamic religious schools and government schools.
He said the MoA is valid for five years starting this year whereby Muis will sponsor 40 people per year to take up the Graduate Diploma Education Programme (DPLI) in UMS.
“There are over shortage of 400 teachers in Sabah, including Islamic Education teachers.
“Of the 40, 20 people would be selected from our Asnaf teachers, including part-timers appointed by Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jheains) to take up the DPLI in UMS so that they will have the qualification and training to teach.
“The remaining 20 students are open to prospective undergraduate or graduates who are eligible to take part in the DPLI programme according to UMS requirements,” he said.
Dr Mohd Arifin, who is also the State’s Exco Education and Islamic Affairs, said this to reporters after witnessing the signing of the MoA by Muis represented its head Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin and UMS represented by its Vice-Chancellor Prof. Datuk Dr Kasim MD Mansur.
He said he was made to understand that the first batch of 40 people have started pursuing DPLI in UMS and will complete their studies in one and a half year.
Also present were the State Mufti Datuk Bungsu @ Aziz Jaafar, State Attorney-General Datuk Nor Asiah Mohd Yusof, Muis Deputy Head Datuk Malai Ali Malai Ahmad, Jheains Director Jumain Abdul Ghani and other senior officials.
