SHAH ALAM, Aug 20 — As of yesterday, 60 per cent of the 606 private tahfiz centres in Selangor have gained Periodic Operation Permits (KOBs) that make them eligible for temporary operation.
State executive councillor for Islam and innovation Dr Fahmi Ngah said tahfiz centres with KOBs are allowed to operate for three years while they obtain planning permits from local authorities.
He said the KOBs are more practical and less burdensome to operators, who may continue operating their tahfiz centres in a safer manner while they apply for planning permits.
“The remaining 40 per cent, we give operators two months until October 1 to register (for the KOB). If not, a whitelisting operation will be launched.
“From these, 127 private tahfiz centres chose to voluntarily shutter due to unavoidable constraints,” he told Media Selangor.
To allow private religious schools to continue operating, Fahmi said some conditions have been relaxed.
“To obtain planning permits, operators must meet four main conditions on land, building, food preparation and health, but we have relaxed them a bit.
“For example, it is enough for a tahfiz centre to have fire extinguishers instead of the requirement for an automatic sprinkler system. However, there must be an effort to meet the stricter requirement over a period of three years, in addition to fulfilling the conditions of the planning permits,” he said.
Last year, the state government amended the Whitelisting Programme 2.0 to ensure students’ safety and to not burden operators.
The initiative also allowed private tahfiz institutions to meet the minimum conditions for planning permits, dictated by local authorities and safety agencies.
