Make Registration Of Tahfiz Schools Compulsory To Protect Kids Activists Urge

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Child rights activists says unregistered tahfiz schools leave children vulnerable to sexual abuse, citing weak oversight, untrained staff and a culture of silence.
An activist says many tahfiz schools operate outside the formal education system and are unregistered, raising child safety concerns.PETALING JAYA: Two child rights advocates and a senior lawyer want the government to make the registration of tahfiz schools mandatory under a national database, saying the move is needed to better protect students from abuse
Amnani A Kadir of Child A.C.T. called for the education ministry and the Islamic development department (Jakim) to jointly manage the proposed database.
She also called for the implementation of stringent safety regulations, facility standards, and staff background checks.
Amnani said many tahfiz schools currently operate outside the formal education system and are not subject to uniform standards or oversight.
“Registration is voluntary under Jakim, so it makes it difficult to monitor the safety and welfare of students,” she told FMT.
Amnani also called for regular audits, surprise inspections and penalties, including suspensions for violators, alongside incentives such as grants and tax relief for schools that comply with safety standards.
She added that all staff, including teachers, wardens and coaches, must be vetted and accredited before being allowed to work with children.
Her comments follow a call by Children’s Protection Society founder Nazir Ariff to shut down dormitories in tahfiz schools following repeated incidents of sexual abuse by caretakers.
In Selangor, for example, a UiTM-UPSI study on the governance of private tahfiz institutions last year found that 76.5% were individually owned. According to the study, 79.4% were registered with the state Islamic religious council, but only 17.6% had complied with all regulatory requirements.
The study also found that only 38.2% of the 34 institutions surveyed offered an integrated academic-Tahfiz curriculum, highlighting gaps in standardisation and a lack of a unified regulatory framework.
However, Amnani said shuttering dorms was not the solution, adding instead that real protection lies in adult accountability and supervision.
“There is a tolerance of abuse in our society, where we choose silence over speaking out. We must get over this culture of non-confrontation and inaction when it comes to our children’s safety,” she added.
Madeleine Yong, founder of PS the Children, agreed that the core issue lies in the pervasiveness of a culture that tolerates abuse.
She said teachers should be trained to detect abuse and support victims, and called for improvements to reporting mechanisms to avoid further traumatising children.
Senior lawyer V Parthipan said Malaysia already has strong laws, such as the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which allows convictions based on a child’s testimony alone.
However, he said cases tend to collapse when supporting evidence — such as video recordings — is mishandled, or because officers lack the requisite training to deal with young victims.
“Each of them is doing it their own way. They should follow a proper standard,” he said.
He called for a stable and specialised police unit to handle child sexual abuse cases and for stricter procedures in evidence-handling. - FMT

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