Quality Education for Inclusivity and Sustainable Malaysia: Tahfiz-TVET Operators’ Perspective

To date, Tahfiz centres are not only training their students to learn and memorize Al-Qur’an but also furnishing them with the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). As of 2024, Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) has authorized four of its skills institutes (IKM and KKTM) to conduct Tahfiz programs: (i) IKM Lumut which specializes in welding, (ii) IKM Jasin which specializes in automotive, (iii) IKM Besut which specializes in air-conditioning, and (iv) KKTM Ledang which specializes in bio-medical engineering. Such educational endeavours have enhanced the quality of education, which aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) that makes the Tahfiz centres inclusive into the national mainstream policies and agenda and ultimately contributes to the country's economic sustainability. This paper aims (i) to explore the perception of Tahfiz operators on the quality of Tahfiz-TVET education, (ii) to understand how the acquired TVET knowledge and skills could offer inclusivity of Tahfiz students in the national agenda, and (iii) to identify the most in-demand TVET program among the Tahfiz students so its sustainability. This study used a qualitative approach of online interviews with three out of four registered TVET-Tahfiz MARA operators across Malaysia. This study revealed that the Tahfiz students have acquired additional and enhanced knowledge through TVET programs without abandoning their core activity of memorizing Al-Qur’an, hence assumed for a better chance of job marketability. The programs serve as an enabler that harmonizes religious knowledge with the needs of modern industry, making them more relevant in today’s world of IR4.0. Among the in-demand programs offered are Automotive and Mechatronics, Welding, Modern Agriculture, Information Technology and Multimedia, Entrepreneurship and Business, Automotive and Air-conditioning, which make the activities and professions related to these more sustainable, and inclusive. For future research, this study would recommend a bibliometric analysis to understand the trend of Tahfiz-TVET programs and their graduates’ marketability.

Sustainability and Education

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