MY JAWI GAMES TO BRING BACK THE JAWI SCRIPT

BANGI, June 10 (Bernama) -- Historical records point that the Jawi script has been in existence in the Malay Archipelago since the 14th century with its origins being closely linked with the propagation of Islam from West Asia. It was once the dominant script for writing in Malay. For the Islamic society, Jawi is the medium to learn Islam. Yet, Jawi lost its relevance with the advent of romanised Malay script in the early part of the 19th century. At present Jawi is of limited use and there are genuine fears that it may be forgotten for good. That is why there are efforts to revive the Jawi script. The simplicity and beauty of the Jawi script can easily win over anyone, regardless Muslims or non-Muslims. Thus, any move to reintroduce the Jawi script is definitely worth the effort. Recently the Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Selangor (KUIS) took an unconventional approach to boost Jawi - through a computer game 'My Jawi Games'. The game invented by a lecturer at the Information Technology and Science Faculty at KUIS, Noor Azli Mohamed Masrop, 37, is categorized as a mobile learning application. During the 20th International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITEX 2009) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from 15 to 17 May, My Jawi Games won the Gold Medal Award. The event was participated by higher education institutions, organisations, companies and individuals from within and without the country.
        
          My Jawi Games is based on folklore from Pahang known as 'Azimat Awang Miskin' with its multimedia animation platform created using Adobe Flash. The Azimat Awang Miskin is a story of an orphan, Awang, who travels to seek knowledge. During his travels, Awang comes face to face with many obstacles. Through seven modules, the player takes up the challenge through various activities like picking and counting fruits, climbing hills, crossing a river full of crocodiles, cook and catch fish. "Thank god, I was able to complete the game within a year," said Noor Azli, who has been
with KUIS for the last 13 years. "I'm very thankful to KUIS for providing the cooperation and assistance, including full paid leave," he said. This project was well received by students and teachers in several schools around Bangi, who provided the feedback on the game and how it can be used in the learning process. The students who were previously not fluent in Jawi after playing the game a few times could read the script fluently.
         By combining learning elements in Jawi script with folklore, the My Jawi Games help to inculcate the letters in the minds beginning with children. The approach is also in line with the Information, Communication and Culture Ministry's call that not only wanted to preserve the Jawi script and folklore but also apply them in the daily activities. My Jawi Games also provides exposure to the players, who are basically children, through an exciting medium, to the information technology and multimedia. The idea to create this game started when the father of five heard cases of students playing truant and wasting their time at video game arcades. Noor Azli then looked for ways to help overcome this problem. It is only natural that children love exciting games, therefore I thought of creating a game in Jawi that can motivate and teach good values to them, said Noor Azli. According to Noor Azli, this project is also part of his research for his doctorate degree at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia that he expects to complete next year.

         The only hope that Noor Azli harbours is that My Jawi Games will be well received by the general public. The Selangor born academician noted that the game is yet to be patented as it is still at the testing stages. Noor Azli, who won the first prize in the logo competition at the Asean Skills Competition, wants to upgrade and diversify his creation so that it caters for all age levels and not for beginners only.

          For example, Jawi can be used in action filled computer games that enthralls the teenagers. Looking ahead, Noor Azli also envisions the use of Jawi in learning mathematics and science like how it is done in English now. On the same note, he added that if the use of Jawi can be upgraded as a component of the Islamic Studies and evaluated in the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), there is a possibility that the students would take up Jawi seriously. According to him, a host of research efforts involving the Jawi script is being done at several higher education institutions; among others the invention of the Jawi script processor, the Romanised-Jawi Script converter, Jawi scanner, Romanised to Jawi web site converter and Jawi learning software. KUIS' Rector Datuk Adanan Isman concurred on the importance of developing the My Jawi Games. My Jawi Games is a wonderful innovation. Previously, we read the Jawi script from holy books, news papers and periodicals, but now all these are no longer well received," he told Bernama. "It is hoped that this new innovation will provide a new lease of life for the Jawi script. KUIS' welcomes such efforts," he said.