"I am proud to share that zakat collection increased from almost S$22.8 million in 2010 to about S$32 million at the end of 2014. This healthy collection allowed the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura or MUIS) not only to extend zakat support to more than 5,432 zakat recipients in 2014, but to also enhance the eligibility criteria. As such, from this year on, the community will be able to help 1,000 more recipients through zakat," he said.
Minister Yaacob observed that mosques are an effective channel for reaching the needy. "Last year, we saw the launch of Nadi Khidmat* by the Council for the Development of Singapore Malay/Muslim Community (MENDAKI), MUIS and six mosques, to bring social assistance to the community and to connect them to the wider ecosystem of national programmes and agencies, like the Family Service Centres and Social Service Offices. We have received positive feedback from the community, as the centres helped streamline the referral process, and also made information on the various community and national assistance schemes more easily available," he said.
"We will continue to enhance the effectiveness of these centres, with a view to expand the service to more locations if necessary. In the meantime, to better reflect the coordinating role of Mendaki, and in recognition of the “pioneer” centres in Pasir Ris and Woodlands, all Nadi Khidmat centres will henceforth adopt the Mendaki@Heartlands brand name."
Minister Yaacob shared two success stories in which mosques have helped with community outreach. At Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah mosque, mosques officers have worked with the Syariah Court to ensure that eligible families undergoing divorce proceedings continue to benefit from MENDAKI’s social schemes. At Al Mutaqqin mosque in Ang Mo Kio, MENDAKI worked with Toa Payoh East Citizens’ Consultative Committee and educational institute Mindchamps Singapore to nominate students for the Mrs Carmee Lim Scholarship, through which recipients will be able to attend a range of enrichments programmes under MindChamps.
"This year, NTUC’s U Care Centre will pilot an initiative with Al-Mukminin mosque in Jurong East, to outreach to low wage workers in the neighbourhood on workfare, training schemes and their employment rights," he added.
New mosques are being built, Minister Yaacob also shared. Al-Islah mosque in Punggol will be opened in time for Ramadhan, while ground breaking ceremonies were held for Maarof mosque in Jurong West and Yusof Ishak mosque in Woodlands. "I applaud the mosque building committees of Maarof mosque and Yusof Ishak mosque for raising approximately S$2 million each, and commend the community for their strong support in a very short time. These three mosques will add close to 13,000 prayer spaces nationwide when completed," he said.
Minister Yaacob noted that Al-Ansar mosque in Bedok is due to be re-opened in April, with a capacity of 4,500 spaces, while the major upgrading of Darul Ghufran mosque in Tampines will add 1,000 more prayer spaces and expanded Islamic learning facilities in 2016. Tampines North will also host a new mosque. Five mosques are undergoing upgrading this year in addition: En-Naeem (Hougang), Sultan (Rochor/Bugis), Sallim Mattar (Aljunied), Al-Khair (Choa Chu Kang) and Al-Falah (Orchard).
Singapore mooted the idea of a single madrasah system for all six madrasahs to consolidate resources and offer an integrated curriculum for students in 2007. Minister Yaacob shared that MUIS disbursed S$194,000 to the six madrasahs from Wakaf Ilmu in 2014, and provided S$2.3 million in grants to needy madrasah students through the Progress Fund Madrasah Assistance Scheme (PROMAS) between 2010 and 2014. "The Minister for Education had recently announced that Ministry of Education will waive fees for national examinations for Singapore citizen students in government-funded schools starting this year, and that the specific respective agencies will consider the treatment for other schools, where necessary. Hence, I would like to share that the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) will assist MUIS so that madrasah students will also not need to pay these fees," he said.
The minister also noted that three madrasahs – Irsyad, Aljunied, Arabiah – have integrated under a single system. "2015 is a key milestone for these three madrasahs, as the first batch of students who have undergone six years of primary education under this system have been posted to Madrasah Aljunied and Madrasah Al-Arabiah following the release of the PSLE results last year," the minister said.
"One such student is Sukainah Bte Sulaiman, who scored an aggregate score of 264 for her PSLE and scored straight A*s for the Islamic Studies Placement Examination. Despite being eligible for top national schools, she has chosen to pursue her studies in Madrasah Aljunied. Sukainah is keen to deepen her knowledge in Islamic studies, as she hopes to contribute to the intellectual and spiritual development of the community in the future. This is a good example of how our consolidated madrasah system nurtures our young and enables them to pursue areas where they have a strong interest," he said.
Apart from full-time madrasah education, MUIS has also been working hard to strengthen part-time Islamic education. The aLIVE (Learning Islamic Values Everyday) programme, targeted at children aged seven to 16 years old, has grown from an enrolment of 1,800 students in 2005 to over 16,000 in 2014. Plans are in place to cater for a 12% increase in enrolment spaces within the next year, Minister Yaacob said. "The latest update to the programme will be rolled out in the first half of this year. In addition, MUIS disbursed about S$1 million under its Islamic Education Fund to help 2,800 students from low income families attend religious classes in 2014."
The minister also noted that three madrasahs – Irsyad, Aljunied, Arabiah – have integrated under a single system. "2015 is a key milestone for these three madrasahs, as the first batch of students who have undergone six years of primary education under this system have been posted to Madrasah Aljunied and Madrasah Al-Arabiah following the release of the PSLE results last year," the minister said.
"One such student is Sukainah Bte Sulaiman, who scored an aggregate score of 264 for her PSLE and scored straight A*s for the Islamic Studies Placement Examination. Despite being eligible for top national schools, she has chosen to pursue her studies in Madrasah Aljunied. Sukainah is keen to deepen her knowledge in Islamic studies, as she hopes to contribute to the intellectual and spiritual development of the community in the future. This is a good example of how our consolidated madrasah system nurtures our young and enables them to pursue areas where they have a strong interest," he said.
Apart from full-time madrasah education, MUIS has also been working hard to strengthen part-time Islamic education. The aLIVE (Learning Islamic Values Everyday) programme, targeted at children aged seven to 16 years old, has grown from an enrolment of 1,800 students in 2005 to over 16,000 in 2014. Plans are in place to cater for a 12% increase in enrolment spaces within the next year, Minister Yaacob said. "The latest update to the programme will be rolled out in the first half of this year. In addition, MUIS disbursed about S$1 million under its Islamic Education Fund to help 2,800 students from low income families attend religious classes in 2014."
In light of increasing demand for adult Islamic learning (ADIL), MUIS now has 13 participating mosques in the programme. ADIL’s courses have with expanded with three new intermediate modules and eight more later this year. "As of November 2014, I am happy to note that about 2,300 participants have signed up for ADIL classes," he said.
View the full speech here.
*Nadi Khidmat provides social services at six locations outside of the city centre. MUIS, MENDAKI and six mosques are involved. Assyakirin mosque at Taman Jurong, Al-Muttaqin at Ang Mo Kio, Al-Ansar at Bedok and Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah at Tiong Bahru are directly involved. MENDAKI@Heartlands (MIH) offices at Pasir Ris and Woodlands are the remaining two locations. Officers at these MIHs work closely An-Nur and Al-Istighfar mosques respectively to provide the services needed.
*Nadi Khidmat provides social services at six locations outside of the city centre. MUIS, MENDAKI and six mosques are involved. Assyakirin mosque at Taman Jurong, Al-Muttaqin at Ang Mo Kio, Al-Ansar at Bedok and Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah at Tiong Bahru are directly involved. MENDAKI@Heartlands (MIH) offices at Pasir Ris and Woodlands are the remaining two locations. Officers at these MIHs work closely An-Nur and Al-Istighfar mosques respectively to provide the services needed.