‘PREVENTIVE MEASURES WILL BE PUT IN PLACE’
Fire result of non-compliance to safety standards, says DPM
PREVENTIVE measures must be put in place to avoid a recurrence of the deadly fire that killed at least 23 people here. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the fire, which gutted a religious school in Kampung Datuk Keramat here, was the result of non-compliance to safety standards.
He urged all tahfiz and religious schools to streamline safety requirements according to those set by the Fire and Rescue Department.
He said the department’s initial findings showed that the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school did not comply with safety requirements.
“It is understood that this school was a temporary place for the students as the permanent location for the school and hostel is currently under renovation.
“However, I would like to stress here that we have a tahfiz school policy and this needs to be adhered to,” he said after visiting the school, yesterday.
He also made it clear that the government did not intend to meddle in religious schools’ affairs.
He said since 2011, 31 similar cases involving religious schools were identified.
“I am not blaming any party, but safety must be of paramount importance to all.”
Zahid, who is also Home Minister, said the main concern at this juncture was to identify the victims at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur’s mortuary.
“The medical authorities are trying to identify the bodies as they were burnt beyond recognition.
“We want their families to know that their welfare will be taken care of by the government. We will provide all necessary support and assistance,” he said.
He also urged parents to ensure that the tahfiz schools their children attended complied with safety requirements.
In a separate press conference, Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan said he wanted all types of schools to be placed under his ministry’s purview.
This, he said, was to ensure that all school buildings and facilities were certified safe.
He said it was compulsory for every school under the ministry to receive safety approval from the Fire and Rescue Department, as well as obtain an occupancy permit.
He said the proposal to place all schools under the ministry had been forwarded to the cabinet.
“Some schools are not registered with the ministry. Some are under state religious departments.
“We have been pushing for all schools to be under the ministry. We will push for it to be approved. This is for the safety of all schools. We will work with all relevant parties to ensure all safety requirements in the schools are adhered to,” he said.
He urged local authorities to regularly inspect all education institutions to prevent such a tragedy from recurring.
Fire and Rescue Department deputy director-general Datuk Soiman Jahid said the school’s management had submitted its building plan recently, but it had yet to be approved.
Earlier in Sibu, Zahid said preliminary reports showed that the school was not registered with the Education Ministry.
“Regardless of whether the centre is privately run or not, there will be no compromise as it involves the deaths of many children.
“In fact, some time ago, I stressed the importance of safety measures during a coordination meeting with operators of tahfiz centres and Islamic schools.
“This is not the first time such incidents have happened. This issue must be addressed,” Zahid said at Sibu Airport here.
To avoid a recurrence, he urged all privately-run tahfiz centres and religious schools to register with their respective states’ Islamic religious councils.
Zahid said by registering, school operators were required to adhere to the authorities’ strict safety requirements.
“However, some tahfiz centres refuse to register. The operators fear that the councils will interfere with their education system and syllabus.
“This is not the case because tahfiz centres and Islamic religious schools are under the purview of the states’ respective Islamic religious councils, which is enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
“And we are a government that upholds the Federal Constitution.”