SUBANG JAYA, 4 Apr: DYMM the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah expressed joy when the number of Muslims who send their children to religious stream schools are increasing.
He said that the growing demand in the past years have clearly showed that religious schools have started to gain the trust of the people of this state.
Sultan Sharafuddin said that religious schools do not only produce dedicated Muslim students that uphold Islam, but will also meet the demands of Islamic institutes of higher learning in the country.
“I understand that religious schools in Selangor have stabilised in terms of management and administration.
“Even the teachers enjoy employment opportunities as well as assistance for curriculum development and smooth running co-curriculum as well as an ever improving student development programme,” said the Sultan when officiating the Sekolah Agama Menengah Bestari (Sambest) here this morning.
The establishment of Sambest planned by the Selangor Religious Department’s (Jais) Education and Learning Division is aimed to strengthen the education system that offers pure science and technical science in its curriculum.
This school became fully operational on 29 May 1998 in an area of 37 acres with a total of 70 teachers.
Also present was the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, State Secretary, Datuk Mohamed Khusrin Munawi, and Education, Higher Education and Human Capital Development Exco, Dr Halimah Ali.
The Sultan added that to uphold the dignity of religion, race and nation, Muslims must acquire knowledge that is sustainable and with depth in all areas, in addition to having a strong religious faith.
According to him, strong Islamic education could produce a generation of Muslims and Malays who have strong faith and honourable conduct.
“In addition to Islamic religious education, a strong history education which is accurate and in-depth needs to be taught and to be given to students of these religious schools.
“This will help to develop pupils and students who excel in academics and love religion and country and who will also defend the sovereignty of the country in everything,” said the Sultan.