Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad attends Friday prayers at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur May 18, 2018. — Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 — The current education system is in need of a revamp, including Islamic studies as the curriculum is overly focused on rituals rather than life values, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.

Dr Mahathir, who was education minister from 1974 to 77, said he has met with Education Minister Maszlee Malik many times to discuss how to fix the education system, adding that discussions are “evolving”.

“What is important about Islam, in particular, is the way of life,” the 93-year-old told New Straits Times in an interview published today.

“When you say way of life, that means certain values. These values are not taught (in schools). In fact, the teacher himself doesn’t know,” he added.

Dr Mahathir said the schools were only focusing on certain parts of Islam, such as its rituals.

“That is what they emphasise. If you don’t perform this ritual you go to hell,” he was quoted saying.

Dr Mahathir said the government has to find out the root of the problem in order to fix it.

He related that he completed reading the Quran in Arabic when he was a teenager, but did not really understand its contents until he read its translations in English and Malay.

“We need to go back and find out what are really the standards insisted by the Quran for Muslims so as to lead the way of life of a Muslim,” he added.