Sijil Turas Malaysia to Open University and Career Paths for Pondok Students, Says Zulkifli

PUTRAJAYA November 13, 2026 — A new Sijil Turas Malaysia is intended to give students from pondok and turas institutions a recognised route into university and careers, Senator Dr. Zulkifli Hasan, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), said on Friday, adding that the government would strive to introduce the certificate next year.

Speaking to reporters at Masjid Putra after the opening of an international hadith-reading gathering, Dr Zulkifli said the certificate and a Majlis Penasihat Turas Malaysia were two initiatives announced by the Prime Minister in Budget 2027.

“Jadi sijil ini umumnya usaha kita ingin melihat bagaimana institusi pondok dan Turas ini juga mendapat pengiktirafan dan sijil ini boleh dijadikan sebagai sijil yang boleh masuk ke universiti dan juga karier mereka,” he said. (So this certificate is generally our effort to see how pondok and turas institutions also gain recognition, and this certificate can be used as a qualification for entry to university and for their careers.)

He said the government wanted the Sijil Turas Malaysia to be developed properly, in the same way as the existing Sijil Tahfiz Malaysia. “Jadi kita ingin melihat bagaimana sijil Turas Malaysia ini yang akan kita usahakan sebaiknya seperti mana kita juga ada sijil tahfiz Malaysia, sekarang ini kita ada sijil Turas Malaysia,” he said. (We want to see how we can make the best of this Sijil Turas Malaysia, just as we also have the Sijil Tahfiz Malaysia; we now have the Sijil Turas Malaysia.)

Asked whether the certificate was meant for pondok schools, Dr Zulkifli said it was still being explored and would apply to pondok and turas institutions, as well as any institution that follows the recognised syllabus under the certificate. “Sijil Turas ini insyaAllah kita ada, kita sedang meneroka dan ianya untuk institusi pondok dan Turas kita dan juga mana-mana institusi yang ingin mengikuti semua silibus-silibus yang diiktiraf di bawah sijil Turas Malaysia,” he told reporters.

He said the government would strive to introduce it the following year. “InsyaAllah kita berusaha tahun depan, insyaAllah kita buat sebaik mungkin,” he said. (God willing, we will strive next year; God willing, we will do our very best.)

The remarks were made on the opening night of the Majlis Sama’ Hadis Jami’ at-Tirmidhi dan al-Syamail al-Muhammadiyyah Peringkat Antarabangsa 2026 at Masjid Putra, Putrajaya. According to the organisers, the programme runs from November 13 to 23, 2026, and is organised by Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (YADIM) with the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs).

Dr Zulkifli told reporters that more than 5,000 congregants had attended the opening, and that 10 musnid, or guides for the hadith reading, had been drawn from Malaysia and abroad. This year’s gathering, he said, is not limited to the reading of Jami’ at-Tirmidhi and al-Syamail al-Muhammadiyyah, but also includes riwayah wa dirayah and daily lectures by invited scholars.

He said he had earlier been able to meet participants from Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, China, Japan, India, Bangladesh, Oman and other countries, which he said showed that the Majlis Sama’ Hadis was drawing growing interest among Muslims in Malaysia and neighbouring countries.

Source : Video by Mohd Nazhrieyan Jailani/LNA, recorded at Masjid Putra, Putrajaya, on November 13, 2026.

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