From Integrated to Standard: Reformation of the Islamic Religious Education Curriculum and Teacher Training in Malaysia

This chapter analyzes how the global agenda of twenty-first-century learning competencies has influenced curriculum reform and subsequently teacher training in Malaysia. Focusing on the Islamic religious education (IRE) curriculum, this chapter discusses the changes that have happened in the curriculum which are part of a paradigm shift in curriculum development. The changes that have occurred in the curriculum have certainly led to crucial changes in the implementation of IRE teacher training, and curriculum reform should be carefully aligned with teacher education and its implementers. This means that IRE teachers should be equipped with twenty-first-century learning skills in order to support Malaysian education in terms of sustainable development. The religion of Islam has been constitutionally established as the official religion of the country. With that, the reformation of IRE curriculum and teacher training marks an important requirement that should be explored in the framework of educational reform in Malaysia.