THE government will use the RM30 million allocated for tahfiz schools for upgrading purposes only, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today.

“Previously, the allocation for tahfiz schools was mostly used to pay salaries.

“But, I am making sure that this allocation will be used 100% for the upgrading of the schools,” said Zahid, who chairs the newly established committee on tahfiz schools, at the launch of the Human Capital Psychology Conference in Putrajaya.

Last month, Prime Minister Najib Razak announced a RM30 million allocation for tahfiz schools after visiting the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz centre in Kampung Datuk Keramat, where a pre-dawn fire killed 21 students and two wardens.

According to Fire and Rescue Department statistics, there have been 211 fire cases involving tahfiz schools since 2015.

Six youths accused of starting the fire at Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah were charged with murder and drug abuse. – October 9, 2017.