Yayasan MENDAKI (MENDAKI, the Council for the Development of Singapore Malay/Muslim Community) is a self-help group dedicated to empowering the community through excellence in education, in the context of a multiracial and multi-religious Singapore. MENDAKI recently established the Future Ready Unit to promote SkillsFuture to the community, Dr Yaacob said, and will reach out to the Muslim community through a series of Future Ready Conversations and NextStop engagements. The first-ever NextStop Seminar was organised by the Future Ready Committee on 19 March, for example.
"The Conversations will help MENDAKI to better understand the hopes and aspirations of our community, and how it can provide more targeted and effective support," said Dr Yaacob. "NextStop is more targeted. MENDAKI will engage students from secondary schools, institutes of technical education (ITEs) and polytechnics so that they have a better appreciation of the growth sectors in our economy, and relatedly, the range of academic and career pathways under SkillsFuture."
Dr Yaacob also announced that he will introduce Future Ready Mentoring for secondary level and ITE students1 while MENDAKI SENSE will help individuals better understand SkillsFuture through initiatives such as the Making SENSE of SkillsFuture Fairs. MENDAKI SENSE will also offer a number of free courses that support lifelong learning, career readiness and skills-upgrading.
MENDAKI will collaborate with the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) to better support vulnerable Malay/Muslim families on KidSTART as well as enhance the accessibility of its flagship programme, the MENDAKI Tuition Scheme (MTS). "We will expand the MTS@Mosques programme to include Al-Muttaqin Mosque and Al-Mawaddah Mosque. And six more community partners will host MENDAKI Homework Cafes to help students with their school work, bringing the total number to 18 centres for 300 students," Dr Yaacob said.
Modern religious guidance
MUIS, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, will hold the inaugural Conference on Fatwa in Contemporary Societies, bringing together community leaders and religious scholars. "This conference will highlight how we practice Islam in Singapore, and how religious guidance and social policies are shaped within the context they are in. We hope to build this conference into a platform for the discussion and dissemination of progressive religious thinking for minority Muslim communities living in a multiracial society," Dr Yaacob said.
Mosque Building & Mendaki Fund
Dr Yaacob noted that the revision in the contribution rates of the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF) was necessary to meet critical needs of the community. "Since 2009, we have built two mosques and upgraded 17 mosques2, providing more prayer spaces for Muslims congregants...When all the current projects are completed by 2018, we can look forward to an increase of 24,700 prayer spaces since 2009," Dr Yaacob said.
The new prayer spaces will come from the upgrading of five mosques under Mosque Upgrading Programme (MUP) Phase 2, including the redevelopment of Darul Ghufran Mosque, the completion of Maarof Mosque in Jurong West later this year, and Yusof Ishak Mosque in Woodlands in early 2017. Al-Istighfar Mosque will offer a temporary covered prayer space opposite the mosque later this year, to cater to about 500 congregants. "For the longer term, MUIS will upgrade Al- Istighfar," Dr Yaacob said. He also shared that a site in Tampines has already been chosen for a new mosque.
Education
A 30-year lease for Madrasah Arabiah at a new site adjacent to the current building in Toa Payoh has been secured. Redevelopment begins next year, Dr Yaacob said.
"Our preparations to implement the enhanced Joint Madrasah System (JMS) curriculum and syllabi for the secondary level are progressing well. Arabic, Islamic law and theology subjects for Madrasah Aljunied, and the Islamic Studies subject for Madrasah Arabiah will be rolled out. In tandem, our teachers are being equipped with the skills and resources to implement the curriculum effectively," he added.
As for using infocomm, Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah collaborated with IDA to set up a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) laboratory to expose students to game designing and educational robotics programming, while Madrasah Aljunied is piloting the teaching of Arabic using iBooks to make learning more interactive, Dr Yaacob said.
To meet demand for adult Islamic learning (ADIL), MUIS has added two more ADIL centres, bringing the number of centres to "MUIS will introduce intermediate modules that focus on the theme of Singaporean Muslims and contemporary challenges. The Office of Mufti (OOM) has also partnered mosques to offer free ADIL modules, and close to 2,400 participants have benefited from ADIL programmes. MUIS will also continue to work with the Private Islamic Education Network (PIENet) to offer quality Islamic education," Dr Yaacob said.
In keeping with Singapore's efforts against extremist influences, Dr Yaacob said that the curricula of both aLIVE and ADIL will include lessons that inoculate youth against online radicalisation. "We are actively engaging parents on cyber safety for their children so that they are more critical with what they read online. In so doing, our young are better protected against radical teachings. For the wider community, OOM and the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) are working together to develop both print and online materials to provide guidance in countering extremist ideologies," he said.
Support for the vulnerable
Zakat collection has risen from S$22.7 million in 2010 to about S$35.3 million (unaudited) in 2015, Dr Yaacob shared. "MUIS disburses zakat to an average of 5,300 beneficiaries annually. With the revision of eligibility criteria of the per capita income and increase in the disbursement quantum in 2014, MUIS was able to increase assistance to the poor and needy from S$13.8 million in 2014 to S$17.2 million last year, constituting almost 50% of the total zakat collected," he said.
MENDAKI's six centres under the MENDAKI@Heartlands initiative enable MENDAKI to connect the less advantaged to social assistance offered by the social service offices (SSOs). "In the past year, the six centres reached out to more than 14,000 individuals through various outreach platforms. Over 400 referrals, including individuals and families, were made to mosques and SSOs for social assistance, while another 600 were matched to educational programmes, job placement and skills upgrading," he added.
Nearly S$10 million was disbursed through the Malay/Muslim Community Development Fund, or MMCDF between 2013 and 2015, benefiting on average 55 partner organisations per year. "The funding criteria is based on ground-up initiatives that are in line with Mendaki’s mission to support the community, in areas such as education, youth, family, and employability. Developing and delivering programmes in these areas are not core to the objectives of the mosque. The core objective of the mosque is to facilitate the community’s religious life. Our mosques, nevertheless, can play a supporting role by providing their premises to Malay/Muslim organisations (MMOs) who deliver such programmes. Mosques can tap on zakat funds to run programmes for families and for the young which are religious in nature or which involve values and character development," said Dr Yaacob.
The Syariah Court, or SYC, will work with MUIS Academy to develop a new certification programme on the practice of Muslim law in Singapore. "The programme will help practitioners understand marriages, divorces and inheritance as practised in Singapore. SYC will also be producing the next set of the Singapore Syariah Appeals Reports (SSAR) in the second half of this year. The SSAR provides a source of reference to Muslim family law, which is vital to the development and advancement of Islamic jurisprudence," Dr Yaacob noted.
The Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) is to be amended. "This will aim to strengthen our Muslim institutions, better manage our community’s assets, and improve existing measures with respect to Muslim marriages and families," Dr Yaacob said.
MENDAKI will collaborate with the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) to better support vulnerable Malay/Muslim families on KidSTART as well as enhance the accessibility of its flagship programme, the MENDAKI Tuition Scheme (MTS). "We will expand the MTS@Mosques programme to include Al-Muttaqin Mosque and Al-Mawaddah Mosque. And six more community partners will host MENDAKI Homework Cafes to help students with their school work, bringing the total number to 18 centres for 300 students," Dr Yaacob said.
Modern religious guidance
MUIS, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, will hold the inaugural Conference on Fatwa in Contemporary Societies, bringing together community leaders and religious scholars. "This conference will highlight how we practice Islam in Singapore, and how religious guidance and social policies are shaped within the context they are in. We hope to build this conference into a platform for the discussion and dissemination of progressive religious thinking for minority Muslim communities living in a multiracial society," Dr Yaacob said.
Mosque Building & Mendaki Fund
Dr Yaacob noted that the revision in the contribution rates of the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF) was necessary to meet critical needs of the community. "Since 2009, we have built two mosques and upgraded 17 mosques2, providing more prayer spaces for Muslims congregants...When all the current projects are completed by 2018, we can look forward to an increase of 24,700 prayer spaces since 2009," Dr Yaacob said.
The new prayer spaces will come from the upgrading of five mosques under Mosque Upgrading Programme (MUP) Phase 2, including the redevelopment of Darul Ghufran Mosque, the completion of Maarof Mosque in Jurong West later this year, and Yusof Ishak Mosque in Woodlands in early 2017. Al-Istighfar Mosque will offer a temporary covered prayer space opposite the mosque later this year, to cater to about 500 congregants. "For the longer term, MUIS will upgrade Al- Istighfar," Dr Yaacob said. He also shared that a site in Tampines has already been chosen for a new mosque.
Education
A 30-year lease for Madrasah Arabiah at a new site adjacent to the current building in Toa Payoh has been secured. Redevelopment begins next year, Dr Yaacob said.
"Our preparations to implement the enhanced Joint Madrasah System (JMS) curriculum and syllabi for the secondary level are progressing well. Arabic, Islamic law and theology subjects for Madrasah Aljunied, and the Islamic Studies subject for Madrasah Arabiah will be rolled out. In tandem, our teachers are being equipped with the skills and resources to implement the curriculum effectively," he added.
As for using infocomm, Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah collaborated with IDA to set up a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) laboratory to expose students to game designing and educational robotics programming, while Madrasah Aljunied is piloting the teaching of Arabic using iBooks to make learning more interactive, Dr Yaacob said.
To meet demand for adult Islamic learning (ADIL), MUIS has added two more ADIL centres, bringing the number of centres to "MUIS will introduce intermediate modules that focus on the theme of Singaporean Muslims and contemporary challenges. The Office of Mufti (OOM) has also partnered mosques to offer free ADIL modules, and close to 2,400 participants have benefited from ADIL programmes. MUIS will also continue to work with the Private Islamic Education Network (PIENet) to offer quality Islamic education," Dr Yaacob said.
In keeping with Singapore's efforts against extremist influences, Dr Yaacob said that the curricula of both aLIVE and ADIL will include lessons that inoculate youth against online radicalisation. "We are actively engaging parents on cyber safety for their children so that they are more critical with what they read online. In so doing, our young are better protected against radical teachings. For the wider community, OOM and the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) are working together to develop both print and online materials to provide guidance in countering extremist ideologies," he said.
Support for the vulnerable
Zakat collection has risen from S$22.7 million in 2010 to about S$35.3 million (unaudited) in 2015, Dr Yaacob shared. "MUIS disburses zakat to an average of 5,300 beneficiaries annually. With the revision of eligibility criteria of the per capita income and increase in the disbursement quantum in 2014, MUIS was able to increase assistance to the poor and needy from S$13.8 million in 2014 to S$17.2 million last year, constituting almost 50% of the total zakat collected," he said.
MENDAKI's six centres under the MENDAKI@Heartlands initiative enable MENDAKI to connect the less advantaged to social assistance offered by the social service offices (SSOs). "In the past year, the six centres reached out to more than 14,000 individuals through various outreach platforms. Over 400 referrals, including individuals and families, were made to mosques and SSOs for social assistance, while another 600 were matched to educational programmes, job placement and skills upgrading," he added.
Nearly S$10 million was disbursed through the Malay/Muslim Community Development Fund, or MMCDF between 2013 and 2015, benefiting on average 55 partner organisations per year. "The funding criteria is based on ground-up initiatives that are in line with Mendaki’s mission to support the community, in areas such as education, youth, family, and employability. Developing and delivering programmes in these areas are not core to the objectives of the mosque. The core objective of the mosque is to facilitate the community’s religious life. Our mosques, nevertheless, can play a supporting role by providing their premises to Malay/Muslim organisations (MMOs) who deliver such programmes. Mosques can tap on zakat funds to run programmes for families and for the young which are religious in nature or which involve values and character development," said Dr Yaacob.
The Syariah Court, or SYC, will work with MUIS Academy to develop a new certification programme on the practice of Muslim law in Singapore. "The programme will help practitioners understand marriages, divorces and inheritance as practised in Singapore. SYC will also be producing the next set of the Singapore Syariah Appeals Reports (SSAR) in the second half of this year. The SSAR provides a source of reference to Muslim family law, which is vital to the development and advancement of Islamic jurisprudence," Dr Yaacob noted.
The Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) is to be amended. "This will aim to strengthen our Muslim institutions, better manage our community’s assets, and improve existing measures with respect to Muslim marriages and families," Dr Yaacob said.
Hashtags: #COS2016, #SGBudget2016, #YaacobIbrahim
*A Committee of Supply in Singapore consists of the whole Parliament, which will debate to consider the business of supply. It usually sits for seven days or more to deal with the estimates of expenditure for the coming financial year. The Committee considers each ministry’s request for funds and votes on it. In 2016, the debate runs from 6 to 14 April.
1 Future Ready Mentoring will be part of the current Youth-in-Action (YIA), Empowerment Programme for Girls (EPG) and Mentoring@MTS programmes.
2 Mosque-Upgrading Programme (MUP) Phase 1: Muhajirin, Hajjah Rahimabi, Kampung Siglap, An Nur, Alkaff Upper Serangoon, Al-Ansar; MUP Phase 2: Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah, Mujahidin, Al-Istiqamah, Al-Amin, Darul Aman, Hj Mohd Salleh (Geylang), En-Naeem, Hj Yusoff, Sultan, Sallim Mattar (completed in March 2016), Al-Falah (to be completed in April 2016).
*A Committee of Supply in Singapore consists of the whole Parliament, which will debate to consider the business of supply. It usually sits for seven days or more to deal with the estimates of expenditure for the coming financial year. The Committee considers each ministry’s request for funds and votes on it. In 2016, the debate runs from 6 to 14 April.
1 Future Ready Mentoring will be part of the current Youth-in-Action (YIA), Empowerment Programme for Girls (EPG) and Mentoring@MTS programmes.
2 Mosque-Upgrading Programme (MUP) Phase 1: Muhajirin, Hajjah Rahimabi, Kampung Siglap, An Nur, Alkaff Upper Serangoon, Al-Ansar; MUP Phase 2: Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah, Mujahidin, Al-Istiqamah, Al-Amin, Darul Aman, Hj Mohd Salleh (Geylang), En-Naeem, Hj Yusoff, Sultan, Sallim Mattar (completed in March 2016), Al-Falah (to be completed in April 2016).