KANGAR: Tahfiz school operators should put aside political differences and work with the federal government to form a special committee to supervise private Islamic schools in the country. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said school operators must place the interest and safety of their students above anything else. He said the government has no intention of meddling in affairs of the state governments and was aware tahfiz schools and Sekolah Agama Rakyat (SAR) operations comes under the jurisdiction of the state. He said there should be a standard safety requirements on tahfiz schools' operation, regardless whether they are registered with the state government, to prevent another tragedy similar to Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah school. It was reported that six of the seven teenagers, aged between 11 and 18 years, arrested in connection with the arson attack at the tahfiz school were tested positive of drugs abuse.

Source: New Strait Times September 17, 2017 13:18 UTC