How JAKIM and Malaysia’s Ulama Organisations Shape Islamic Education
Understanding Malaysian Islamic education means understanding the institutions that govern and advocate for it — not just the schools and classrooms, but the bodies that set standards, produce curriculum, train teachers, and speak for the Islamic scholarly tradition within Malaysia’s political and educational landscape.
Two institutions occupy distinct but complementary positions in this governance ecosystem: JAKIM (Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia) and PUM (Persatuan Ulama’ Malaysia — the Muslim Scholars Association of Malaysia). This article examines both, and what their combined influence means for the operators and administrators of Malaysian Islamic schools.
JAKIM: The Federal Islamic Development Authority
JAKIM (Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia) is the federal government body responsible for Islamic affairs in Malaysia. Established under the Prime Minister’s Department, JAKIM is the principal regulatory authority for Islamic education at the federal level — developing curriculum, setting standards, administering the SIMPENI data system, and coordinating with State Islamic Religious Authorities across all thirteen states.
JAKIM’s Core Education Responsibilities
KAFA Programme and KAFA 2.0: JAKIM is the central body responsible for the KAFA (Kelas Al-Quran dan Fardu Ain) programme — the nationwide supplementary Islamic education programme integrated into Malaysia’s primary schools. After thirty years of implementation, JAKIM launched the KAFA 2.0 curriculum in 2024, representing the most significant reform of the programme since its inception. KAFA 2.0 introduced a new Rancangan Pengajaran Harian (RPH — Daily Teaching Plan) methodology, updated UPKK (Ujian Penilaian Kelas KAFA) assessment formats, and refreshed curriculum content to address the contemporary context of Malaysian Muslim children.
SIMPENI (Sistem Maklumat Pendidikan Islam): JAKIM maintains the Islamic Education Information System — the national data platform for all Islamic educational institutions in Malaysia. Every registered KAFA class, Sekolah Agama, Tahfiz school, Pondok institution, and Islamic kindergarten must report data through SIMPENI. Regular SIMPENI data management workshops are held to help state-level coordinators and institutional administrators maintain accurate, current records. The most recent workshop cycles have focused on updating data accuracy across all institution types.
Kursus Penataran Kurikulum: JAKIM coordinates the national curriculum training programme for Guru KAFA — the Kursus Penataran Kurikulum (curriculum enhancement courses). These courses ensure that KAFA teachers across all states are teaching the current version of the KAFA 2.0 curriculum correctly. A 2023 Kota Bharu training, for example, reached 70 KAFA teachers specifically to introduce KAFA 2.0 methodology.
Darul Quran JAKIM: JAKIM operates Darul Quran — Malaysia’s premier national Tahfiz institution — offering the Diploma in Tahfiz Al-Quran and Al-Qiraat. Darul Quran is the gold standard of formal Tahfiz education in Malaysia and its graduates are considered among the most rigorously trained Huffaz in the country.
LEPAI (Lembaga Penyelarasan Pengajian Islam): JAKIM’s Advisory Board for the Coordination of Islamic Education has been operating since 1990, coordinating the KAFA programme nationally across all states and ensuring consistent standards of implementation.
The JAKIM-State Authority Relationship
An important nuance for Islamic school administrators to understand is the division of authority between JAKIM (federal) and the State Islamic Religious Authorities (Jabatan Agama Islam Negeri / Majlis Agama Islam Negeri).
JAKIM sets federal policy, develops the national curriculum (KAFA 2.0, UPKK), operates SIMPENI, coordinates national teacher training, and manages Darul Quran. Its authority is advisory rather than legally binding in most matters — Islam is a state matter under Malaysia’s federal constitution.
State Islamic Authorities have actual legislative authority over Islamic religious affairs within their respective states. They manage the day-to-day administration of KAFA programmes, register Sekolah Agama Rakyat (SAR) within their states, appoint KAFA supervisors (Penyelia KAFA), and handle state-level implementation details. The variation in KAFA implementation between states — some covering Year One to Year Six, others only Year Two to Year Five — reflects this state-level discretion.
For an Islamic school administrator in Malaysia, this means: register with your State Islamic Authority for operational compliance (SAR registration, KAFA supervision) while following JAKIM’s curriculum standards (KAFA 2.0) and reporting into JAKIM’s SIMPENI data system.
PUM: The Persatuan Ulama’ Malaysia
The Persatuan Ulama’ Malaysia (PUM) — the Muslim Scholars Association of Malaysia — occupies a very different position from JAKIM in the Malaysian Islamic landscape. Where JAKIM is a government bureaucracy with regulatory authority, PUM is an independent professional association of Islamic scholars.
History and Foundation
PUM was born from a meeting at the Second Islamic Economic Congress organised by the Rural Development Ministry in 1972. The association was formally established in 1974 at the Kolej Islam Kelang, Selangor, with its official registration (No. 1541 Selangor) issued on 3 December 1974.
The founding leadership included some of Malaysia’s most distinguished Islamic scholars of the era: Prof. Tan Sri Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim as Advisor, Hj. Nik Mohd. Muhyidin bin Musa as the first President, and committee members including the late Dato’ Hj. Fadzil Mohd. Nor, Dato’ Dr. Haron Din, and Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Abdul Hamid Othman.
Who Can Join PUM?
PUM defines an ulama’ as a Muslim who is of mature mind, has deep knowledge in Islamic affairs, and acts upon that knowledge. The association notes that the qualifying condition is accessible: a Muslim who loves or is committed to the duties of ulama’, even if they do not have very deep knowledge of Islam. What matters is love for Islam and the desire to see Islam continue to be honoured.
This relatively inclusive definition — focusing on commitment and love rather than formal credentials alone — has allowed PUM to build a broad membership across Malaysia’s scholarly and intellectually engaged Muslim community.
PUM’s Role in Islamic Education
PUM’s primary contribution to Islamic education in Malaysia is at the policy advocacy and scholarly discourse level rather than the curriculum or regulatory level. The association:
Advocates for Islamic Education Standards: PUM scholars engage in public discourse about the direction, quality, and priorities of Islamic education in Malaysia — weighing in on debates about curriculum content, teacher training standards, the role of Pondok institutions, and the balance between traditional Islamic scholarship and modern educational approaches.
Organises Scholarly Exchange: PUM’s activities include seminars (including the Seminar Kebangsaan Pemikiran Islam and regional seminars on dakwah and Islamic thought), Tazkirah Ramadan programmes, and the Nadwah Pemikiran Islam (Islamic Thought Symposium), bringing scholars together to discuss contemporary challenges facing Malaysian Muslim education and society.
Networks with International Islamic Scholarship: PUM has connections with Haiah Ulama Palestin and has been involved in projects such as the Musolla For Gaza initiative, demonstrating its engagement with the broader global Islamic scholarly community.
Maintains State Branches (Cawangan): PUM operates through state branches (Cawangan) across Malaysia, enabling local engagement with Islamic education issues at the state level alongside its national advocacy work.
The PUM Model vs. JAKIM: Complementary Roles
The relationship between PUM and JAKIM illustrates an important feature of Malaysia’s Islamic institutional landscape: the government regulatory body (JAKIM) and the independent scholarly association (PUM) play complementary rather than competing roles.
JAKIM has the regulatory authority and government resources to implement Islamic education policy — to develop curricula, train teachers, maintain data systems, and enforce standards. PUM has the scholarly credibility and independent standing to advocate for the Islamic educational tradition at the policy level, to speak on behalf of the ulama community, and to engage with questions of Islamic educational philosophy and direction that a government bureaucracy is less suited to address.
For Islamic school administrators in Malaysia, understanding both bodies means understanding that compliance (SIMPENI, KAFA 2.0, ARS-equivalent teacher recognition) is managed through the regulatory framework led by JAKIM and state authorities, while the deeper questions of Islamic educational philosophy — what the maktab is for, what a Muslim child should know and love, how Islamic character is formed — are addressed within the scholarly tradition that PUM represents.
What This Means for Managing a Malaysian Islamic School
For the practical work of running a Sekolah Agama, KAFA programme, or Tahfiz school in Malaysia in 2026, the relevant takeaways from understanding JAKIM and PUM are:
Curriculum Compliance: Follow KAFA 2.0. Use the RPH (Rancangan Pengajaran Harian) methodology JAKIM recommends. Ensure your Guru KAFA attend the Kursus Penataran Kurikulum. Use the UPKK assessment format updated in 2024.
SIMPENI Registration and Reporting: Your institution’s data must be in SIMPENI and current. Attend SIMPENI data management workshops when held in your state. Submit required data updates promptly.
State Authority Registration: Register with your State Islamic Religious Authority. Maintain the relationship with your Penyelia KAFA. Know which body has authority over which aspect of your institution.
Teacher Quality: JAKIM’s curriculum training courses set the minimum standard. PUM’s scholarly tradition sets the aspirational standard — the teacher who is not just technically competent but who embodies the love for Islam and commitment to Islamic formation that produces students whose hearts are engaged, not just their minds.
Digital Management: The SIMPENI reporting obligation is a recurring reminder that Malaysian Islamic institutions exist in a data environment where regulators need institutional records. A management platform that maintains compliant student data and can generate SIMPENI-compatible exports turns regulatory compliance from a crisis into a routine operation.
