MORE than 300 tahfiz schools nationwide breached safety standards and building safety requirements, Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Noh Omar said.

The Fire and Rescue Department issued 367 notices after inspecting 1,238 schools between September 26 and October 17.

“Following the fire incident in Kg Datuk Keramat in September, the tahfiz school task force instructed the Fire and Rescue Department to conduct checks on tahfiz shools nationwide and we found that only 986 met safety standards and building requirements,” said Noh.

He was replying to Petaling Jaya Selatan MP Hee Loy Sian (DAP).

Out of 986 tahfiz centres, Noh said only 748 were registered with the Islamic Development Department (Jakim).

“Still there were some that met the requirement set by the Fire and Rescue Department.”

Operators of the tahfiz schools are given 90 to 180 days to comply with the fire hazard notices, he said.

“If it involves something like fire extinguisher, smoke-detection device, we give them 90 days but if it involves the main structure, the building, we will give them 180 days (to fix the problem.”

He said the task force also decided that the RM30 million fund announced by Prime Minister Najib Razak will be used for the building and upgrading the structure of tahfiz centres.

“There will be no cash aid given. What we will do is that we will cooperate with Giatmara and community colleges to tackle the issues faced by tahfiz centres. A full report will be tabled to the cabinet soon.”

On September 14, 21 pupils and two teachers died when their dorm in a tahfiz school in Kg Datuk Keramat, Kuala Lumpur, were razed in an early morning fire.

Six youths, aged between 12 and 18, have been charged with drug abuse and the murder of 23 people.

Seven suspects were initially detained on September 16, two days after the blaze at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah centre destroyed the second floor of the building.

Six of them were charged at the KL magistrates’ court few weeks later. Mention of the case will be on November 28. – October 25, 2017.