SHAH ALAM: The state government will give a grace period of a month or two to private tahfiz schools that have yet to register with the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) to do so.
This follows the decree by Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris that private tahfiz schools in the state which were not registered with Jais should be shut down.
Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said it would be the private tahfiz schools' last chance, failing which action would be taken to close them.
Amirudin said the state government's intention was to ensure that the private tahfiz schools were equipped with appropriate facilities for the students, where the safety aspects were of the utmost importance.
Speaking to reporters after the opening of the state assembly by the Sultan, Amirudin said Selangor was taking a cue from the tragic pre-dawn fire incident at Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah in Kampung Datuk Keramat, Kuala Lumpur, which killed 23 students in September 2017.
“It is not that the state government wants to bar these private tahfiz schools from operating but we want to ensure that their buildings fulfil safety requirements set by the authorities and it has a holistic curriculum.
“Two years ago, when my predecessor Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali was the Selangor menteri besar, we directed all private tahfiz schools to register with Jais and we eased the process for them.
“This was to ensure that they adhere to the need for safety equipment in case of emergencies. We have registered over 200 private tahfiz schools from a total of 300.
“So, those remaining will be given a couple of months to register with Jais or they will be closed,” he said.