Serdang: KEMAS must take bolder, more organised, and strategic steps to ensure that early childhood education and rural community development remain relevant in this era of rapid change, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Minister for Rural and Regional Development, emphasized the need for KEMAS to modernise early childhood education, promote inclusive education, improve workforce competencies, and address rural challenges by adopting a more comprehensive approach and moving away from outdated methods.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Ahmad Zahid highlighted that KEMAS cannot stay stagnant and must embrace digital transformation through initiatives like SmartClassroomKEMAS, expanding TABIKA Tunas Istimewa, and strengthening the Pra Tahfiz programme. These initiatives demonstrate KEMAS’ ability to modernise early education while preserving values, manners, and morals. He made these remarks at the launch of the KEMAS Festival 2025 (FesMa ’25) at MAEPS, Serdang.

During the same event, the TABIKA KEMAS Pra Tahfiz programme made history when the Ceremony to Celebrate the Successful Recitation of the Quran, which gathered 2,540 children, was recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) for ‘Largest Children Participation in Al-Quran (Juz Amma) Recital.’

In a statement, KEMAS also announced that its Pra Tahfiz module, introduced in 2023, is now being used by 123,435 children across 10,567 TABIKA nationwide. FesMa ’25 also featured the Akademi Alpha Gen TalentsKEMAS, an educational reality programme showcasing the Ikon Bitara Ilmu and Huffaz Cilik competitions, with 10 episodes airing on Bernama TV, the official broadcasting partner of the programme.