| Hakim Hayat |

MINISTER of Religious Affairs Yang Berhormat Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman yesterday slammed comments made by several parties outside the Legislative Council (LegCo) who are of the view that the new budget allocation of his ministry is a “waste” and “hindrance” towards the country’s development agenda.

Calling the ideologies “unwise” and “not local”, the minister in his motion of adjournment on the final day of the 15th LegCo session attributed these views to those who have little understanding and grasp of the national education policy and trusts.

In his budget read-out for the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) during the final week of the session, the minister said 76 per cent of the BND246 million allocated to his ministry will be used to support religious education services in the country.

“I also stressed that this is a clear sign that the government is committed to supporting and continuing the national education thrusts, philosophy and policy that do not put aside Islamic education in shaping up an educated and pious generation for today and tomorrow,” the minister said.

He added that he is confident the majority of Bruneians perceive this allocation as something that is fitting, as they want to see the objectives of Islamic education achieved and said this is why the budget is approved in the first place.

“There are however some people out there who are still not clear about our national education policy… they are of the view that our budget allocation is a waste and should be used in other sectors, especially amid the budget deficit the country has been facing.”

The minister also expressed his disappointment over some views that link higher Islamic education in the country to issues of marketability and employability.

“I frankly welcome these concerns but at the same time I would also like to highlight that Islamic education stream graduates are capable to be employed in different sectors such is in diplomatic services, law, finance, banking and even the armed forces.”

He also stressed that the marketability and employability of Islamic education stream graduates should not be seen as a remote issue because the issue encapsulates the whole education sector including the conventional streams.

“Statistics from the JobCentre Brunei as of December 2018 showed that out of the 9,841 active job seekers in different sectors, only 16 out of 962 HND holders are in Islamic Studies and Al-Quran Studies.”

“Meanwhile in First Degree and above qualifications, out of 2,614 active job seekers, only 147 are from the Islamic education stream,” the minister said adding that detaching the issue of marketability of Islamic education stream graduates from other streams is not a wise move.

“I highly applaud the attitude of our youth today who are well-aware of the reality of the challenges in securing jobs.

“A lot have already started to be self-sustainable by establishing their own companies and businesses in areas of their capabilities including in religious services,” he noted.

He added that although ideas and concerns from the public are welcome, they should also be seen in parallel with other issues and cautioned that it should not go to a point of eliminating Islamic education in the country.

“Such views are too extreme and odd in the context of Brunei. Are these ideologies original? Are they coming from our own people? Or are they coming from outside and intentionally put here?” he asked.

“We agree that in the social and political history of Brunei, Islam has never been a hindrance to development and modernisation and whatever we do is appropriate and fitting for the long-term. We are thankful of the government’s commitment in developing our national education philosophy based on Islamic education,” he added.