Dear Editors  and Media Friends,

1. Quranic teachers who are currently teaching but do not have minimum requirement for Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) certification can now benefit from a new programme. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), in collaboration with Darul Quran@Kampung Siglap and Asatizah Recognition Board (ARB) introduced The Basic Certificate for Quranic Teachers (BCQT), a baseline course aims to help the participants to develop their skill set and knowledge which is a requirement as certified Quran teacher in Singapore.

    

2. This was announced by Mufti of Singapore, Dr Mohd Fatris Bakaram, in his speech at the presentation of Certificate of Recognition for Muslim Religious Schools held this afternoon. The programme, which will benefit about 700 teachers, also give an introduction to subjects that are covered in a higher learning program offered by Darul Quran Singapura. The BCQT programme also illustrate Muis’ commitment to ensure that mandatory ARS is as inclusive as possible and supports the development of the religious teachers.

    

3. In his speech, Mufti stressed to the teaching fraternity and centres the importance of imparting the right teachings at all times, and be competent in understanding the society that they function in, and also appreciate the norms of a multi-religious society. He also asked them to take a firm stand on the kind of teachings that should not be allowed in Singapore’s context.
   
   

4. Dr Fatris also presented certificate of recognition to 193 Islamic Education Centres and Providers (IECP) who have met the registration requirement and are now registered under the scheme. The scheme requires the IECPS to employ only qualified and suitable teachers to teach Islam, as well as making sure that the curriculum and teaching materials that they use do not contravene the ARS Code of Ethics.

5. Private education provider like Andalus Corporation Pte Ltd, which run 17 centres across Singapore and specialise in Islamic classes for various age groups, sees the recognition as something that benefit the community. Ustaz Fathurrahman Dawoed, Andalus’ Executive Director of Education Division says:

    “The IECP recognition will definitely increase the trust of the community to the service providers like us. With all the IECP names made  available online, it gives the community the choice to choose which programmes suits them. One of the changes we did was to ensure that all our asatizah are certified and attend the courses provided to upgrade themselves. We also need to ensure that the curriculum that we provide suits the current religious context of the community”
      

6. For further details, please refer to the attached factsheet and speech. Please credit all photos via the link below to Muis. We thank you for your continuous support.