MELAKA: The government is confident of producing 125,000 professional huffaz by 2050 by expanding access to technical higher education, strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and combining Quranic knowledge with professional and advanced technology skills.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the target builds on the National Transformation Programme 2050 (TN50) vision of developing a generation of huffaz who are not only proficient in Quranic memorisation but also capable of contributing to the country's strategic sectors.
He said about 12,500 professional huffaz had been produced so far, while opportunities for tahfiz and pondok school students to pursue higher education at Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) and six universities under the Malaysian Technical Universities Network (MTUN) would be expanded from 2027.
"We are confident that by providing tahfiz and pondok school students who have memorised the Quran with access to UniKL and the six MTUN universities, we can achieve the target of producing 125,000 professional huffaz by 2050," he told reporters after a huffaz graduation and Ulul Albab excellence appreciation ceremony today.
Zahid said clearer pathways into technical and professional higher education would enable huffaz to acquire specialised skills and professional qualifications to meet the country's future workforce needs.
Earlier, Zahid, who is also National TVET Council chairman, said tahfiz students should have clear educational pathways from school to higher education, TVET and professional careers, allowing them to pursue fields suited to their interests and abilities.
"We do not want tahfiz students to feel that they have only one path in life. Their mastery of the Quran can instead serve as a foundation for pursuing various fields according to their interests and abilities," he said.
He said the initiative was also being strengthened through Tahfiz TVET and TVET Tahfiz programmes involving institutions under Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), GiatMara, UniKL and industry partners to expand training and employment opportunities.
He encouraged tahfiz students to explore artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the digital economy and advanced technology, not merely as users but also as creators capable of developing solutions to real-world problems.
Zahid said tahfiz education should go beyond Quranic memorisation by giving students opportunities to develop their academic, technical, leadership and professional capabilities while preserving their religious values and identity.
He also expressed his aspiration for Malaysia to one day be led by a prime minister who is an al-Hafiz or al-Hafizah and possesses the knowledge, integrity and ability to govern the country. — BERNAMA
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