Khalid said the move was protect the welfare of students as well as the image of the religious institutions.
“We do not want tahfiz centres to be given exemption just because they are part of the religious institutions. They still must register with DBKL and the Federal Territory Islamic Department (Jawi),” he told reporters today.
He said the government would also come up with stricter rules for residential schools, especially tahfiz centres.
He said parents who plan to enrol their children in tahfiz centres must check the status of the schools.
Khalid said DBKL would cooperate with Jawi to conduct checks on tahfiz schools still operating in Kuala Lumpur.
“If they are found to be not registered, we will not hesitate to close them down,” he added.
Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mujahid Yusof Rawa said Putrajaya was powerless to stop illegal tahfiz schools as they were under the jurisdiction of local authorities.
The latest move comes in the wake of the arrest of the principal of a tahfiz school in Kepong, following allegations of sex abuse involving nine victims aged between 11 and 16.
The school was later found to be operating without a licence.