KUALA PILAH: A madrasah (religious school) here has been ordered to close by the state Islamic Affairs Department (JHEAINS) after it was found that it was not registered with the department to run such a school.
JHEAINS director Mohd Asri Abdullah said the school, which is believed to be linked to an organisation dealing with Islamic products and currently under investigation, failed to comply with Section 25c of the Control of Islamic Religious Schools Enactment 1996 (Negri Sembilan).
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He advised the management of Islamic schools in the state to register with JHEAINS and comply with the relevant regulations.
JHEAINS enforcement chief Ahmad Zaki Hamzah said conditions at the school, which was made up of two houses, were bad as 40 male students had to live in cramped conditions.
He said the department had conducted checks on Sept 6 following reports from the state Welfare Department of allegations related to sexual activities involving the students.
Apart from being crowded, investigations also showed that the students were only given thin mattresses to sleep on, he added. “The students living at the school are believed to be between seven and 12 years old.”
Ahmad Zaki said the madrasah had failed to register with JHEAINS to enable it to carry out activities related to religious education as required under state law.
He said the management had applied for registration in June last year but it was rejected as it had failed to comply with the requirements.
“In April, a reminder was issued to the management asking them to comply with the rules and that they had till the end of the same month to do so,” he said.
He said the learning environment at the school was not conducive due to hygiene and safety issues.
Following this, the department decided to order the school to close. Several teaching and learning items were also seized to assist in investigations.
