Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wants pondok school teachers in the country to master information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to meet the challenges of the digital era.
He said failure to grasp the latest technologies could cause the traditional religious institution to be overwhelmed by “a new wave of attacks” of the mind that have replaced past forms of colonisation.
“If we do not master it, others will, and our children will adopt AI based on the framework from the United States or France.
“So, how do we change the approach to this AI framework? It is by ensuring our children have resilience, an understanding of Islam, intelligence and wisdom in knowing what they want to achieve,” he said.
He said this while delivering a speech at the opening of the Kelantan Islamic Scholars and Pondok Teachers 2025 assembly at the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Machang campus, here today.
Also present were religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar, higher education minister Zambry Abd Kadir, and Kelantan menteri besar Nassuruddin Daud.
Anwar said it was time to rebuild pondok schools as a stronghold of Islamic history to counter secular influences.
“Last month, I called in officials from the finance ministry to find a way to rebuild pondok schools as strongholds. Only then will Madani be realised in its true sense,” he added.
Earlier, Anwar presented a contribution totalling RM1.03 million to representatives of pondok schools attending the National Umara’-Ulama Pondok Dialogue (Umran) 2025.
Previously, the prime minister was quoted as saying that the government would restore and elevate the country’s pondok schools so that it can remain a bulwark for safeguarding the faith, morals, and character of the Muslim ummah in line with current needs.
He stated that this initiative involves collaboration between the finance ministry and the Islamic development department (Jakim) to ensure that religious and pondok schools can be upgraded with new facilities and technology.
