Majority of Kedah tahfiz schools not fire-safety compliant

ALOR STAR: Eighty per cent of 31 tahfiz schools in the state have been found to not comply with fire safety requirements, according to findings of the Kedah Fire and Rescue Department.
State fire safety division assistant director, Senior Fire Superintendent Mohd Zaidi Maat said inspection on the remaining 31 tahfiz schools would be conducted soon and those found not complying with safety features would be issued a written reminder from the fire department.
He said this after attending the launching ceremony of a fire safety awareness campaign and the fire department's cooking competition here today.
Mohd Zaidi added that in Kedah, 147 religious schools (tahfiz school, Sekolah Pondok and Sekolah Agama Rakyat) had registered under the state fire and rescue department and from that figure, 118 premises had been inspected until July.
"Among others, the reason why tahfiz schools fail to prepare sufficient safety equipment is due to lack of funds. Thus, I hope corporate or non-governmental bodies could help provide financial aid to these schools.
"Fire safety demonstrations and talks also need to be constantly carried out so that the students and school administration know what to do when a fire occurs at their premises," he noted. — Bernama