Jan 12 next year hearing of legal action over khat for vernacular schools
The Kuala Lumpur High Court fixed Jan 12 next year to hear a legal action over the government’s decision to make khat study or Jawi calligraphy lessons compulsory for Chinese and Tamil vernacular primary school pupils.
Lawyer Keshvinjeet Singh Sidhu today confirmed that the court set the hearing date to hear the application for leave to commence judicial review against the Education Ministry’s decision.
The legal action is targeting the ministry’s decision to make khat study compulsory in Bahasa Malaysia lessons for Year 4 pupils in vernacular schools.
Keshvinjeet is acting for the three applicants for the judicial review leave application - parent R Visa Letchumy, and groups Ex-Chinese School Students Association and Persatuan Hindu Agamam Ani Malaysia.
The cause papers listed Tan Kim Sen @ Tan Boon Tak and D Ravi, as president and chairperson of the two associations respectively.
“Initially, the court had fixed earlier dates (this year) to hear the judicial review leave application, but the MCO (Movement Conditional Order) have led to these dates to be postponed.
“The court then had fixed Jan 12 next year to hear the judicial review leave application,” Keshvinjeet informed Malaysiakini.
Checks on the online cause list showed that the judicial review leave application is set for hearing before Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid at 9am on Jan 12 next year.
On May 22, online news portal Free Malaysia Today reported the filing of the legal challenge against the government’s decision compelling pupils in Chinese and Tamil primary schools to study khat or Jawi calligraphy.
Visa Letchumy, Tan and Ravi are also seeking for the lessons to be temporarily suspended pending disposal of the main legal action.
It was reported that the decision to introduce the khat lessons was made by the then Pakatan Harapan administration.
However, following brickbats from various educational groups, the Harapan government later in August last year announced that Jawi was optional, among others.
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