Rukun Negara club and secretariat will be intensified - Halimah Sadique

The Rukun Negara Club (KRN) at the primary and secondary school level and the Rukun Negara Secreteriat (SRN) at the institutions of higher learning (IPT) will be intensified in efforts to put its five basic principles into the education system.

Minister of National Unity, Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique said her ministry will discuss with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education in terms of activities, programs and modules of the KRN and SRN.

"As for the KRN, we will discuss with the Ministry of Education on how the club is a compulsory club in schools that consist of multiracial members with modules set together.

"Meanwhile, for the SRN, discussions with the Ministry of Higher Education were conducted to encourage the establishment of the secretariat at the IPT level," she said in an interview with SarawakFM on Saturday.

For the record, a total of 6,621 KRNs were registered involving 4,205 national primary schools, 504 Chinese national type primary schools and 236 Tamil national type primary schools.

Meanwhile, 172 registered SRNs were recorded nationwide.

Last Thursday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin wanted Rukun Negara education to be the government's core agenda to ensure that Rukun Negara is always a practice in society to be inherited from one generation to another.

Muhyiddin said there must be a concerted effort by all parties to foster an appreciation of the principles and values contained in the Rukun Negara, especially to foster unity among the people in this country.

In addition to the Ministry of National Unity, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, the Rukun Negara education agenda also includes the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia.

Halimah added that her ministry would provide grant incentives for the establishment of a club or secretariat in an effort to promote the establishment of the KRN and the SRN.

"This is one of the processes towards incorporating Rukun Negara into the education system. When we issue grants, each KRN or SRN can organize their own programs.

"They can organize programs according to the creativity of the club and the secretariat in an effort to intensify the appreciation and education on Rukun Negara," she said.

In the meantime, Halimah explained, her ministry also plans to restore the Rukun Negara education at the basic level of early childhood education such as kindergarten.