Zahid expresses concern over lackadaisical attitude on safety in tahfiz schools

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is concerned about the weaknesses in the administration of tahfiz and other religious schools in the country.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Putrajaya had never wanted to interfere in the administration of these (tahfiz) schools.
"We would like to prioritise the children's safety but these schools view our monitoring as an interference in their administration," Ahmad Zahid said during a press conference in front of the Darul Ittifaqyah Tahfiz school in Jalan Keramat Ujung here.
"Since 2011, Fire and Rescue Department records show that 31 religious and tahfiz schools were involved in such incidents," he said.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, stressed that the Fire and Rescue Department had offered training exercises and urged tahfiz schools to form fire and rescue volunteer units to join the course.
"I have stressed the importance of safety measures during a coordination meeting with operators of tahfiz centres and Islamic schools in May.
"However, there are operators of tahfiz centres who are adamant and refused to register (with the Islamic religious councils). The operators fear that the council will interfere with the education system and syllabus taught at their respective centres," he said while extending his condolences on behalf of the government and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak who is currently in the United States to the families of the victims.
Meanwhile, Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government (KPKT) Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar said the building management was in the midst of applying for the Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC).
"The school does not have its CCC yet.
"But the lesson from the incident is that this building was built without having its CCC.
"The Fire and Rescue department said the building management did apply for a fire safety permit," Noh said.
Meanwhile, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the operator of the school might have neglected several safety aspects during the building's construction.
Tengku Adnan, who had earlier visited the school, said the tragedy might not have happened if safety aspects were observed.
"I went to one of the bedrooms of the school, it has only a small door, one staircase and all of the windows had grilles fixed on them. They (the victims) could not escape," he said.
"The building had not even received approval from the Fire and Rescue Department to operate," he told reporters after attending the 2017 Malaysia Day Festival at Menara Mara.