Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also Home Minister, said the Education Ministry should not be solely responsible for looking into the safety aspects at these schools.
Zahid said that a fire such as the one at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah residential school in Jalan Keramat Ujung, Kuala Lumpur last Thursday, in which 23 people died must not recur.
He also said NIOSH which had the expertise in occupational safety and health, should be given an important role to play in seeing to the safety of such schools.
“We want the children at these schools to be safe and enjoy a high level of health.
“Don’t forget that the teachers and other staff at these schools are also part of us,” he said when opening the 20th Conference and Exhibition on Occupational Safety and Health, here, today.