AUDIT REPORT Quranic and Islamic studies (Kafa) classes under the purview of the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) in Kedah had to be shut down because there was not enough funds to pay for electricity and water, the Auditor-General’s Report 2014 said.

According to the third series of the report released today, the classes which were held at Sekolah Kebangsaan Ulu Melaka were later shifted to five mosques and surau.

“The Kedah Education Department no longer provided funds to pay for electricity and water bills starting from the 2010 school term.

“The school could no longer bear the cost of utilities if the Kafa classes are held there,” the report read.

Classes at SK Kilim, Kedah were also moved to Masjid Kilim because “there was not enough allocation to meet students’ needs”.

Jakim, a department under Prime Minister’s Department (PMD), runs the after-school classes for children aged 7 to 12.

The programme was allocated RM1.05 billion from 2012 to 2014. A total 854,271 students were enrolled in Kafa classes last year, the report said.

Despite the large allocation, the audit found that students in Kota Belud, Sabah were studying in classrooms without tables and chairs.

Two classes had to share a classroom in Tawau while students in Papar had to wait their turn to use tables.

A total 257 Kafa teachers also told auditors that they had to fork out their own money for teaching materials, including marker pens.

The audit also found that records of training for teachers were “in disarray” with many teachers not attending the required training.

Some teachers in Sabah told the auditors they do not even know where the Jakim office in Sabah is.

Teachers who quit overpaid

Jakim came under the spotlight when G25 member Tawfik Ismail called for its closure, arguing that Putrajaya should not control the way Muslims want to practice their faith.

The call was echoed by former de facto minister Zaid Ibrahim who said Jakim is less about promoting Islam but more about government control.

According to its website, Jakim’s objectives are to spread Islamic teachings and develop strong leaders and a management system which adhere to Islamic values and ethics.

It was allocated about RM1 billion last year, while deputy minister in charge of Islamic affairs Asyraf Wajdi said Jakim needs more than that to perform its duties.

Responding to the audit report, Jakim said there is only allocation for teachers’ allowance but not training.

“Jakim has submitted proposals on this but it was not considered by the central agency,” it said.

“Given that Kafa’s allocations are very limited, the relevant agencies should take the initiative to work with agencies like the Malaysian Teacher Training Institute which offer training,” it said.

It added that RM13.45 million has been allocated to Jakim by the PMD this year to pay for Kafa teaching material.

Despite shortage of funds elsewhere, some Kafa teachers in Selangor were found to have been overpaid.

The audit found the state Islamic affairs department (Jais) overpaid 63 teachers by RM66,209.

The teachers were paid their allowances despite already giving 14-day notice of resignation, and have yet to return the payment made to them.

In response, Jakim said it was acting on the matter.