Balancing Faith and Skills: A Multi-Stakeholder Study of Tahfiz-Tvet Readiness in Kedah, Malaysia

Abstract

This article examines how technical and vocational education and training (TVET) can be integrated into tahfiz-(memorization of Quran) based Islamic education without weakening the religious mission that gives such institutions their legitimacy. Drawing on a documentary case study of two Kedah Tahfiz-TVET research reports prepared in 2026, the article synthesises aggregate descriptive survey evidence and focus group discussion (FGD) thematic evidence from key stakeholders, namely asatizah or teachers, huffaz or students, parents or guardians, and relevant policy and implementation agencies. The survey report indicates favourable stakeholder orientation, with reported overall agreement of 80.3% among asatizah, 79.7% among huffaz or students, 78.1% among parents or guardians, and 79.2% across all reported responses. The FGD report, however, shows that acceptance is conditional rather than unconditional: stakeholders support Tahfiz-TVET when it is understood as a value-adding reform that protects hafazan (memorization of Quranic verses) and murajaah (reviewing memorized portions of the Quran verses), preserves Islamic values and adab (manners), controls cost and safety risks, provides recognised certification, and is governed through phased, modular implementation. The article proposes a Conditional Legitimacy Framework for Value-Compatible Vocationalisation, arguing that vocational reform in faith-based schooling gains legitimacy through five interacting mechanisms: interpretive clarity, core-mission protection, capability-value gain, implementation trust, and governed modularisation. The article contributes to TVET, Islamic education, and educational change scholarship by shifting the analytical focus from simple acceptance to legitimacy formation in value-sensitive educational reform. It also offers policy implications for designing Tahfiz-TVET as a phased capability-expansion model rather than a disruptive curriculum insertion.