State governments need not worry of amendment to Education Act - Mashitah

State governments should not be worried of the proposed amendments to the Education Act 1996 (Act 550) as the federal government's involvement is meant to synchronise the safety and financial aspects of all 'tahfiz' religious schools.

Malaysian Pondok Development Foundation (YPPM) executive chairman Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim said the monitoring of security and discipline could be implemented in all 'tahfiz' schools via the amendments.

"Without the amendments, whoever wish to enter the schools can conduct checks and audits from all aspects and so on," she told Bernama after being interviewed in the Ala Carte Morning show by the Bernama Radio here Wednesday.

Mashitah said the proposed amendment could help to modernise the 'tahfiz' and 'pondok' schools.

YPPM was also planning to set up directories on its website to list down all 'tahfiz' schools and madrasahs so that members of the public would be aware of the existence of such schools, she added.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi proposed to allow the registrations of private Islamic education institutions including private tahfiz schools to be subjected to the act with the agreements of the state governments.

-- BERNAMA