PETALING JAYA: Putrajaya Fire and Rescue Department Fire Safety Division director Datuk Khirudin Drahman Hussain said there are 1,199 tahfiz centres in the country but most endanger the lives of students by being fire hazards.
He said during visits to the centres, it was found that most did not have adequate fire exits and had locked grilles on the windows, which hamper exit during fires.
“Even the arrangement and number of beds did not allow occupants to exit or enter the dormitories properly. During a fire, pillows and other materials could fuel the flames.”
Department operations head Mohamad Shoki Hamzah said there were 12 incidents of fires at such centres in 2022, 13 in 2023 and one up to May this year, most of which were made worse due to improper fire alert systems.
“We found that there was inadequate supervision of children, who played with matches and other flammable items sometimes.
“We conduct yearly inspections of tahfiz centres but unregistered ones are not under our purview and fail to follow proper regulations. We can advise them to follow the regulations but cannot force them to comply.”
Khirudin said the department would advise local authorities before they issue permits to open tahfiz centres as approval from the department is required before a licence can be granted.
“We sometimes issue temporary operating permits with conditions, requiring subsequent department approval. However, some centres delay obtaining approval, operate without authorisation and renew their permit at the end of the period.
“This leads to complaints the department is delaying the process, even though the application was never properly submitted. This is a common challenge we face.”
He said the department often does not know about unauthorised centres, making inspections challenging.
He added that although illegal centres might be cheaper, safety should always be the priority, so parents should verify whether a centre is legal and safe before sending their children there.
“Registered centres that receive funding from waqf, baitulmal or the Islamic Religious Department usually comply with the conditions. Those funded by donations may operate without proper approval and this poses a significant issue.”
Khirudin said fires do not choose their victims and could happen anywhere, so a critical factor is how quickly they can be put out.
He said the department usually has no issue approving the opening of centres if they have support from relevant authorities.
He added that the notion that the department is solely responsible for the approval of centres is incorrect because operators are advised beforehand to comply with technical requirements from relevant departments.
“It is not just about waiting for our approval. Our safety measures require fire extinguishers, proper wiring and accessible exits. These are straightforward requirements.”
