IT has been more than a week since we first came across the heart wrenching news of the loss of innocent lives within the premises of a school.

A fire broke out at the Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah religious centre located at Jalan Keramat Ujung, Kampung Datuk Keramat in the wee hours of yesterday morning and claimed the lives of 23 victims; 21 students and 2 school wardens. Six other students who managed to escape the fire are now in critical condition – the children who perished were between the ages of 13 and 17.

This is, by far, the worst accident in the last 20 years and unfortunately, many of us can’t help but think that this will not be the last.

When lives are lost, especially in school boundaries, it is only natural to feel pain and anger towards the incidences that lead to such calamities. As other reports roll in – firsthand accounts, statements by the school headmaster, parents and authorities, we are still left with an overwhelming sense of helplessness and disappointment because at the core of it all, several burning questions still remains unanswered: Who is responsible for the safety of our children – the school or the parents or the government? How can schools carry on conducting classes without proper supervision and permits? Who shall be accountable for the deaths of these innocent lives?

By now, investigations have uncovered that the fire was caused by young drug addicts and was an act of revenge. It was foul play as initially suspected, but the lives of those who perished could have been spared if the school had just taken safety precautions seriously.

In 1989, a fire broke out in Sekolah Agama Rakyat (SAR) Taufikiah Al-Halimiah, Kedah which lead to the deaths of 27 female students and almost 20 decades later, we are still reeling with a sense of confusion over the lack of political will to prevent such man-made catastrophes from happening again.

The incident of last week’s fire had uncovered several important issues we may have overlooked along the way. Firstly, the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah is among hundreds if not thousands of such schools unregulated by the Education Ministry – such schools come under the questionable purview of the religious department but even that is not entirely clear.

Unfortunately because of this lack of clarity and apathetic nature of some individuals in decision-making positions, most of these schools are ‘allowed’ to operate without licenses. Needless to say, fire safety checks are almost always ignored and complaints are often brushed aside with almost no follow up.

According to The Star, the Fire and Rescue Department has recorded 211 cases involving tahfiz schools nationwide between 2015 and this year so far. Currently there are roughly 519 tahfiz schools registered nationwide but it is safe to assume that the numbers of unregistered schools are much higher.

Although the Fire and Rescue Departments have established clear rules and regulations, the lack of enforcement and more so the lack of accountability has lead to a dangerous leniency that can (or in this case, has) prove to be fatal.

Creating a safe school environment is paramount and should be on the top of our list if we are serious about providing the best education and experiences for our children. It should be the responsibility of the federal government to make sure that the right information is being dispersed to all stake holders – in this case, a ‘top down’ approach may be favourable.

Furthermore, the government must demand that all schools must be registered under one ministry – preferably the Ministry of Education. This is to keep tabs on the ‘who, what, where, when, why and how’ of these schools. It is just time for someone to take responsibility and put an end to the ‘tak tahu’ culture that has unfortunately become synonymous with Malaysian society. Like a broken record on loop, this tune has been heard so many times and it is nothing short of nauseating.

Malaysia is indeed a ‘young’ country and we often find either archaic regulations or nothing because some things are just too new for the system to comprehend. Such things can be changed or updated accordingly, it will take some time and a lot of political will but it is not impossible.

In guaranteeing the safety and well-being of our children, it really is the responsibility of every layer of society – government, local authorities, schools, parents and society. The notion of prevention should be imbedded into our society and ought to become second nature simply because the safety of our children is something that we, as a society, cannot compromise at any cost. – September 22, 2017.

* Syerleena is a councillor at the Penang Island City Council (MBPP). She is a Malaysian who believes that our life experiences shape us into fascinating beings.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.