MELAKA, March 16 — The state government has allocated a one-off contribution to 28 registered tahfiz institutions under the Melaka Islamic Religious Department (JAIM) this year, involving a total allocation of RM268,800.

Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh said the annual contribution of RM9,600 for each tahfiz institution distributed by the Melaka Islamic Religious Council (MAIM) aimed to assist in the operation of these institutions, thereby easing the financial burden of private Islamic education institutions (IPIS).

"In this regard, I urge all IPIS operating in Melaka that are still not registered under JAIM to do so immediately.

"This is to ensure that the IPIS learning system complies with regulations and that any form of contributions, especially from the state government, can be distributed annually,” he told reporters at Dataran Pusat Islam Melaka here today.

He said this after attending the Mega Jamaie Iftar event as part of the state-level Ihya Ramadan programme, which was also attended by State Education, Higher Education, and Religious Affairs Committee chairman Rahmad Mariman.

Meanwhile, Ab Rauf said 811 students from five institutions of higher learning (IPTs) in the state received one-off pocket money of RM200 each involving a total allocation of RM162,200.

He said the five IPTs were Politeknik Melaka, Universiti Islam Melaka, Kolej Profesional Mara Bandar Melaka, Melaka International College of Science and Technology dan Kolej Al-Quran Sayyidina Ali.

"This contribution is part of the ‘fidyah’ instrument implemented by MAIM for students from B40 families since last year.

Earlier, he said the Mega Jamaie Iftar event attended by more than 2,500 people was also part of the Islamic Tourism Month programme in conjunction with Visit Melaka Year 2024 (TMM 2024), aimed at strengthening the bond among Muslims and enlivening the month of Ramadan. — Bernama