(From third from left) Mohd Zawawi and Nik Noor with the meeting agenda. — KK SHAM/The Star
A TOTAL of 55 out of 171 religious schools in Selangor are currently facing registration issues.
Caretaker Selangor executive councillor for Islamic affairs Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni said challenges included dealing with local authorities and Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS).
These schools have around 3,000 teachers and nearly 30,000 students.
The registration problems arise from communication issues between schools and local authorities, as well as the schools’ failure to meet local authority specifications.
“Local authorities put safety as one of the key requirements, and some schools have yet to meet the necessary criteria.
“While local authorities are required to adhere to current regulations, our past experiences with tahfiz schools have led us to advocate for flexible approaches that allow schools to meet the requirements set by the authorities,” he said.
Zawawi has agreed to provide guidelines aimed at simplifying the registration process for religious schools, following a similar approach used for tahfiz schools in the past.
“Given the large number of schools involved, resolving these issues may take approximately two to three years,” he said during a meeting at Bangunan SSAAS in Shah Alam.
Schools awaiting registration approval from the state government are still allowed to participate in the Ujian Penilaian Kelas Kafa (UPKK) and Penilaian Sekolah Rendah Agama (PSRA) examinations this year.
This permission will remain valid until the state government establishes guidelines to facilitate the registration process, which will then be submitted to the local authorities and JAIS.
Zawawi said this issue would be raised with the Selangor State Executive Council for a thorough evaluation and to explore ways of supporting these schools.
Persatuan Gabungan Sekolah Islam Selangor president Dr Nik Noor Azlinda Hussain was grateful that the state government had provided a clear resolution for Islamic schools.
“The upcoming expiration of registration certificates presents additional challenges, particularly for students who may be unable to take examinations if their schools fail to renew these certificates,” she said.
“These schools are also not eligible to apply for financial assistance.
“We raise this issue to ensure that our students receive high-quality education and study without any obstacles.
“We hope that this resolution will lead to further improvements in the future,” she added.
