Written by Azaraimy HH
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
via CAAI News Media
Bandar Seri Begawan - Singapore Muslim youths are making a mark in the academic and non-academic areas, but despite their success, there is much to be done to elevate the status of Malay youths to be on par with the other races.
Across other Southeast Asian countries, Muslim youths also face some other challenges. In Cambodia, the Muslim youth population requires more schools and teachers while in the Philippines Muslim youths are faced with difficult social, economic and political structures.
These are some of the issues deliberated by speakers during the Southeast Asian Islamic Youth Conference currently held at the Rizqun International Hotel. Adnan Abdul Hamid from the Singapore Islamic Religious Council shared on the progress of the Malay community, particularly the younger generation, since the days of independence.
He said Singapore is a nation-state highly dependent on its people as its key asset. In a fast-paced world where change is the order of the day, Singaporeans need to be forward-thinking and adapt to changes.
"Muslim youths in Singapore have better vision and this is a potential that needs to be harnessed," he stated.
A 2009 estimate indicated that out of a population of 4.7 million, Malays make up almost 14 per cent (495,000 persons) in a multiracial society that also consists of Chinese, Indians, Eurasians and other races.
As of June 2008, Malay youths aged 18 and below make up approximately 34 per cent (168,000 persons) of the community's total population in Singapore.
With greater focus on raising educational standards, community efforts in recent years have seen fewer Malay student dropouts at the primary and secondary level, with more representation at postsecondary and tertiary institutions. This has had a positive impact on the decline in juvenile delinquency over the years.
Despite many achievements, challenges remain. The Malay community cannot rest on its laurels. More is needed to be done in areas including education, for example, even though there is a rise in young Malays taking up post-secondary education, there is a decline in the PSLE Math grade passes.
In other areas, it was reported that in 2007, a total of 1,040 Malay drug abusers were caught. These made up half of the number of all drug abusers caught in Singapore. But Singapore has been making efforts to tackle the issues such as through the setting up of a Community Leaders' Forum. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
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