More than 200 tahfiz centres do not meet safety standards

KUALA LUMPUR: As many as 252 tahfiz centres (religious schools) throughout the country do not meet fire safety standards, said Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar.
This included 169 tahfiz centres which are registered with the state religious departments and 83 unregistered ones.
He said that checks conducted by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) on 1,238 tahfiz centres from Sept 25 to Oct 17 also found that only 80 had obtained building permits from it.
"A total of 367 notices to eliminate fire hazards were issued, covering such aspects of safety like no emergency exits, no fire extinguishers and worn-out electrical wiring.
"We gave them between 90 to 180 days to comply with the set conditions," he said in reply to a question from Hee Loy Sian (PKR-Petaling Jaya Selatan) on the government's efforts to ensure the safety of tahfiz buildings in the country during the question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.
Noh noted that to resolve the problem of tahfiz fires, the Tahfiz Fire Squad was set up in May with volunteers from tahfiz centres throughout the country.
He said the initiative had recruited 319 people who could provide training on fire prevention and handling emergencies.
"We have also increased the number of talks, seminars and fire-prevention demonstrations at 528 tahfiz centres in the country. Pamphlets on fire prevention have also been distributed to tahfiz schools and the community around them," he added.
Noh urged members of Parliament and local leaders to pay attention to tahfiz schools in their areas and find out their needs. — Bernama