chicky_pie
POTATO HEAD ROXON
THE closure of a Muslim school by the West Australian government was a warning to other Islamic schools, the former head of Australia's peak Muslim body says.
The Muslim Ladies' College in the Perth suburb of Kenwick was shut down by WA Education Minister Mark McGowan yesterday for a series of "serious concerns" revealed during a departmental investigation.
The school did not follow the state's curriculum, it employed unregistered teachers, serious questions were asked about the school's financial viability, and some school buildings were shipping containers.
A spokesman for the minister said at one time, students at the school were being given religious instruction 43 per cent of the time.
The school's acting director Zubair Sayed has been arrested and charged with fraud over the alleged theft of almost $356,000 in federal funding from the school.
Ameer Ali, an academic at Murdoch University and former president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, said the government took the right step in closing the school.
"After several warnings, the government has taken action. No one can blame the government for this," Dr Ali said.
"I think it's a good lesson for the other (Islamic) schools across the state.
"They want to enter the field of education and provide some services to the community, (so) they must be up to scratch.
"They should follow the rules of the state to the word and they should not exploit the community."
Dr Ali said Australia's Muslim community already was under the spotlight and this had not helped.
"This is completely tarnishing the image of the community, and already we are in the hot seat ... and this adds to our predicament."
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22898328-29277,00.html
yippee, down with all religious schools
The Muslim Ladies' College in the Perth suburb of Kenwick was shut down by WA Education Minister Mark McGowan yesterday for a series of "serious concerns" revealed during a departmental investigation.
The school did not follow the state's curriculum, it employed unregistered teachers, serious questions were asked about the school's financial viability, and some school buildings were shipping containers.
A spokesman for the minister said at one time, students at the school were being given religious instruction 43 per cent of the time.
The school's acting director Zubair Sayed has been arrested and charged with fraud over the alleged theft of almost $356,000 in federal funding from the school.
Ameer Ali, an academic at Murdoch University and former president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, said the government took the right step in closing the school.
"After several warnings, the government has taken action. No one can blame the government for this," Dr Ali said.
"I think it's a good lesson for the other (Islamic) schools across the state.
"They want to enter the field of education and provide some services to the community, (so) they must be up to scratch.
"They should follow the rules of the state to the word and they should not exploit the community."
Dr Ali said Australia's Muslim community already was under the spotlight and this had not helped.
"This is completely tarnishing the image of the community, and already we are in the hot seat ... and this adds to our predicament."
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22898328-29277,00.html
yippee, down with all religious schools