Religious school halts sale of tahfiz unit amid discussions

IPOH: The sale of a tahfiz (Quran memorisation) unit at a religious education centre in Manjoi, here, has been postponed amid discussions with various parties, including the state government to help solve its woes.
Al Barakah Education Centre founder and principal Datuk Mohd Kazim Elias said he had received a call from a state government representative this morning to discuss the problems faced by the centre.
"After holding discussions with various parties including the state government, I will announce (later) whether the tahfiz unit will be closed down or not this August," he told reporters here today.
He was commenting on an advertisement for the sale of the unit posted online which had recently gone viral on social media.
The Al-Barakah Education Centre which opened in 2006, has three units, namely Tahfiz Al-Quran, Pondok Pengajian Dewasa (education for adults) and Tadika Nurul Barakah (kindergarten).
Mohd Kazim, who is also a famous preacher, said if the unit was to be sold, a four-month prior notice would be issued to facilitate the relevant parties make their plans.
"It's not to say that the centre will be closed the next day after making the (sale) announcement. The students here have families, and we have to give them time to look for another school, and the same goes for the 25 staff at the tahfiz unit," he said.
Mohd Kazim said he was putting the unit up for sale as he could not afford to cover operating costs of about RM150,000 per month, including salaries of staff and teachers.
He said the Tahfiz unit was run using proceeds generated from his lectures at talks, and not funds from third parties such as political parties.
"I have never asked for funds from any party to manage this centre. The entire cost is funded using proceeds from my talks and the sale of products such as books and compact discs with the cooperation of publishers," he said, adding that he ran into problems when his talks were cancelled at the last minute, affecting the income.
He added that the cancellations began taking place after the 14th General Election. — Bernama