Pertubuhan Kebajikan Anak Yatim Malaysia (Peyatim) deputy president Mohd Yusoff Abdul Latiff said this would ensure there was no repeat of abuse cases like that which claimed the life of an 11-year-old at a tahfiz school in Kota Tinggi, Johor, yesterday.
He said this oversight body could comprise interest groups with government representatives.
It would curtail problems such as abuse of pupils and illegal set-ups.
Yusoff also noted that the number of illegal orphanages was on the rise, which was cause for concern.
Yusoff said currently, 72 orphanages were registered with 5,000 students throughout the country.
“We were initially concerned with these illegal orphanages exploiting young children to collect donations for their activities. The same goes for tahfiz schools.
“But now with the Johor boy’s incident, our fears have spread to abuse.
“We must act now. Let’s not wait for another abuse or death case. We need urgent oversight on these institutions as soon as possible.”
He claimed the Kota Tinggi tahfiz school was not registered.
Eleven-year-old Mohd Thaqif Amin Mohd Gaddafi died a few days after admission to the Hospital Sultan Ismail in Johor Bahru yesterday after allegedly suffering abuse at a boarding school in Kota Tinggi, Johor.
Thaqif was admitted to hospital on April 19 for injuries to his legs after he was allegedly beaten by the assistant warden of the Islamic religious school he was attending.
On Aug 21, HSI doctors amputated Thaqif’s legs in a bid to prevent the infection from spreading to the rest of his body. The following day, the boy lapsed into a coma.
Doctors later found that his right arm had also turned necrotic.
Yusoff said tahfiz schools ought to be registered with the state Islamic Affairs Department and the education ministry, while orphanages ought to be registered with the Welfare Department.
He said this would allow the relevant agencies to impart the best practices to avoid unwanted incidents at tahfiz schools and orphanages.
“We must act quickly to weed out these illegal outlets or else I am afraid we might have more cases of abuse.
“The Johor boy’s case can be used as a ‘pedoman’ (guide) on what might come if we do not tackle this problem,” Yusoff said at a press conference here today.
Yusoff said he had sent a memorandum to the Prime Minister’s Department and Welfare Department in 2014 asking for Peyatim to be made the oversight body looking into orphanages.
He said Peyatim would then monitor the “authenticity” of new orphanages to check if they were really able to provide security and shelter for orphans.
Yusof said there had been no answer to the memorandum sent and hoped the government would respond soon.
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