PARENT Action Group for Education (PAGE) has called for a full review of tahfiz schools in the country following the death of 11-year-old Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gadaffi earlier today.

PAGE chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said there must be some form of system to regulate religious schools. 

This, she said, included checks on the schools’ enrolment, curriculum, the ethics of the teachers and the leaning of their teachings.

“How do we know that the students or teachers aren’t leaning towards extremism? We have so many IS sympathisers in this country. Where did it start?”, she told The Malaysian Insight, referring to the Islamist State terrorist group.

Azimah said she would not be surprised if the type of abuse Thaqif suffered in the hands of the school warden was  happening in other less well-funded schools.

“Thaqif’s death could have been avoided if the school had better funding and was able to hire an experienced warden.

“The warden is there as a worker and not an educator. When you are in a poor school, you have very little choice who works for you.

“You are not able to choose a qualified warden as the school does not have the funding.

Reports have indicated that the assistant warden implicated in Thaqif’s death was a former convict who had served time for burglary.

Azimah said the person hired to handle and work with children  must be qualified for the job.

On the issue of corporal punishment, Azimah pointed out that there were rules and regulations on caning in national schools.

“Boys can get caned in private, but there are many estrictions on how it can be carried out.”

While some parents are not against physical punishment, Azimah said most of the time, the school would not get the desired results by meting out corporal punishment.

“There are other ways of disciplining the child, such as by reasoning with it.

“However, we have always advocated that caning or any form of physical punishment should not be condoned.”

Thaqif was allegedly abused and tortured by the assistant warden who whipped him on his legs with a water hose until they turned black and blue.

The legs became infected and the infection later spread to the kidneys and a shoulder. 

Thaqif’s legs were amputated at Sultan Ismail Hospital, Johor Baru. He was scheduled to undergo another surgery at 8am today to amputate the right arm but it was cancelled because of his weak heart condition. 

He died this afternoon about 2pm.

Thaqif began school at Madrasah Tahfiz Al-Jauhar in Kota Tinggi, Johor, on January 27, and his mother, Felda Wani Ahmad, 40, took him out of school on March 31 after he complained to his mother about being beaten in school.

The assistant warden has since been remanded by police. – April 26, 2017.