Government to study reviving Rukun Negara-based subject

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6  -- The government is planning to revive a subject related to Rukun Negara practices, said National Unity Minister Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique.

She said the matter would be looked into by a technical committee, to be formed comprising her ministry with three other ministries, namely the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, the Ministry of Higher Education, and the Ministry of Education.

"It is similar to the Tata Rakyat subject where we were taught about a diverse society, unity, tolerance behaviour, respecting each other’s culture and such," she said to reporters after the Rukun Negara Club and Rukun Negara Secretariat Appreciation Event and Unity Creative Video Prize-Giving Ceremony here today.

On July 9, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin proposed that Rukun Negara education is established as the government's core agenda.

Explaining further, Halimah said it was important to develop Rukun Negara education, so that its five principles could be appreciated by society, especially the younger generation. 

As such, the Rukun Negara Clubs and the Rukun Negara Secretariats become the main platforms for the ministry to implement this agenda.

To date, a total of 6,621 Rukun Negara Clubs have been formed in 5,864 national primary and secondary schools with another 757 in national Chinese and Tamil schools.

In addition, she said, there were 172 Rukun Negara Secretariats in public and private higher education institutions nationwide, which would hopefully foster understanding of Rukun Negara through their programmes. 

-- BERNAMA