Progress on Introduction of Common Salary Guideline for Asatizahs

Dr Shahira Abdullah asked the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) what is the progress of the introduction of a common salary guideline for asatizahs as recommended in the report of the Committee on Future Asatizah in 2020; (b) when is MUIS’ review of the salary guidelines for the religious sector expected to be completed; and (c) in view of the pay increases of civil servants and teachers in the secular sector, whether the salaries of asatizahs working in religious institutions will be reviewed so that they remain competitive.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: MUIS is working with the madrasahs and mosques to implement a Common Salary Guideline for our asatizahs. This will involve a holistic review, including a rigorous evaluation of the asatizahs' job scope and salary benchmarking with relevant sectors.

These salary adjustments will be underpinned by a robust performance-based system that ensures our asatizahs are fairly compensated based on the skills, competencies and value that they bring to their jobs.

MUIS is engaging employers in the madrasah and mosque sector to review the existing performance appraisal system. MUIS will also conduct workshops to equip supervisors and reporting officers, as well as their human resource personnel, with the skills and knowledge to implement the salary structure within their organisations, in accordance with the Common Salary Guidelines.

Once these engagements are completed, MUIS will implement the Common Salary Guidelines in phases from 2023. MUIS will, thereafter, regularly monitor and ensure that salaries for the asatizahs remain competitive with the relevant sectors.