PUTRAJAYA, Sept 19 (Bernama) — The Education Act 1996 (Act 550) should be amended to allow the registrations of private Islamic education institutions including private tahfiz schools to be subjected to the act with the agreements of the state governments.
The recommendation was a proactive measure submitted in looking for ways over issues related to tahfiz schools including security in view of the fact that the management of such schools were currently under the jurisdictions of the state governments.
The recommendation, which was submitted at the High Level Committee (HLC) meeting of the Tahfiz Schools Special Task Force chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi here today, saw a need to improve Act 550 for a better enforcement of such centres.
“I hope the state governments agree to this for the common good,” said Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, to reporters after the meeting at Perdana Putra, today.
“We are concerned about this problem, although it is under the state governments. The federal government exercises concern because we don’t want to see indifference in the tahfiz school (administration),” he also said.
The meeting, which submitted several recommendations on the tahfiz school issue, was also attended by seven cabinet ministers including Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom and Inspector-general of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun.
Ahmad Zahid said Jamil Khir was empowered with engaging the state government to discuss the proposal.
“We engage the state government first before we amend the act,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said the recommendations of the HLC would be submitted at a meeting of the National Council for Islamic Affairs (MKI) which would be chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today, to also be attended by state government representatives.
He said the recommendations would also be tabled in the Cabinet meeting tomorrow,
Currently, he said there were 941 private tahfiz schools registered with Persatuan Madrasah Tahfiz Al-Quran Malaysia involving 9,470 teachers and 150,000 students.
However, he said only 612 schools were registered with the Education Ministry and the state government authorities for fear their schools would be taken over.
The registration of the tahfiz schools will be co-ordinated between the state governments and the federal governments so the issues of taking over and duplications of power between the two parties do not arise, he said.
In the meantime, Ahmad Zahid said the meeting also proposed that the federal and state governments were jointly responsible in co-ordinating their administrations and channel financial aid if necessary.
In addition, he said the formation of a setting up approval criteria framework and management of tahfiz schools nationwide was also recommended with standard specifications to be decided by the local authorities (PBT), Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) and related agencies.
Also suggested was that the premises of tahfiz centres, orphanages, old folks’ homes and kindergartens must comply with safety standards, he said.
“We will also encourage the setting up of fire and rescue volunteer teams at the premises,” he said.
In addition, he said the National Institute for Occupational safety and Health (NIOSH), JBPM, PBT and the Malaysian Association of Facility Management would conduct a large scale safety awareness campaign at all the premises concerned.
The special task force was set up to co-ordinate the safety of tahfiz schools following the fire incident at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah Tahfiz Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday in which 23 lives including 21 students perished.
Ahmad Zahid said, since 1989 until the latest incident, 39 fires had taken place at Tahfiz schools involving 56 deaths including 54 students.
He said the HLC meeting also agreed to set up a permanent co-ordinating committee to monitor the management of People’s Religious Schools (SAR), Tahfiz schools and ‘religious huts’ nationwide including improving existing safety standard.
Ahmad Zahid said the Islamic Religious Development Department (Jakim), the secretariat for MKI, would also act as the secretariat for the committee.
— BERNAMA
