Malek Fahd funding suspended after unsuccessful appeal
PARENTS are facing renewed anxiety following news the embattled Malek Fahd Islamic School will lose millions of dollars in federal funding after the Federal Court dismissed their appeal.
The Express
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PARENTS are facing renewed anxiety following news the embattled Malek Fahd Islamic School will lose millions of dollars in federal funding after the Federal Court dismissed their appeal.
The school was one of six affiliated with the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils that came under review in 2015 due to concerns about their financial management.
The school had not received its monthly payments of $1.2 million for more than a year before the judgment was handed down.
The academically high flying school at Greenacre, in Sydney’s southwest, which also has smaller campuses at Hoxton Park and Beaumont Hills, will seek leave to appeal to the High Court against the decision.
Lawyer Rick Mitry said the school also would apply for a stay of the order to revoke its government funding so it can continue to receive about $20 million a year and remain open.
“Despite everything that has happened and the school being one day from closing it is still performing in the top 10 per cent in the HSC,” Mr Mitry said.
Chairman John Bennett said he was sending letters to parents and also would approach the federal Department of Education to request continued funding while an appeal was sought.
There is a lot of anxiety- Chairwoman Fariha Dib
“This is not the same school of two or three years ago – it has done everything it can to rectify the problems of the past and things are all falling into place,” he said.
“The students are being penalised … (but) we still remain positive.”
The school’s parents’ advisory committee chairwoman Fariha Dib said parents had been through a lot in the past 18 months as they waited to find out if their school could stay open.
“While they had anticipated this was in the pipeline, it will upset a lot of parents,” Dr Dib said.
“It’s nearly the end of Term One, there is a lot of anxiety, but we’re still hopeful that there are other options.”
The school’s fate lies with the minister- Chairwoman Fariha Dib
The school has teetered on the brink of closure for the past 18 months since its federal funding was suspended on suspicion the money was being misused.
Last November AFIC agreed to pay $22 million in allegedly misused rent payments, loans, service fees and property back to Malek Fahd.
AFIC paid back $10 million and transferred ownership of its $12 million Beaumont Hills campus to Malek Fahd.
The school then cut ties with AFIC and established a new board led by Dr Bennett.
“The new school board has done everything that needed to be done to become compliant with the act,” Dr Dib said.
“Hopefully the minister can see that and there are other options, whether we reapply as a new entity or another school takes it over.”
About 100 students left as Malek Fahd faced closure but as the battle to stay open was taken to the courts numbers increased at the start of this year.
The three campuses now have 2500 enrolments.
Dr Dib said parents were trying not to panic.
“The school’s fate lies with the minister,” she said.
“We hope he takes into consideration that closing down a school of this size, with more than 2500 students, will have huge repercussions and I don’t know if local schools can even absorb that number.”
Federal education minister Simon Birmingham said the Turnbull government would not tolerate the misuse of taxpayer funding for school.
“All school authorities must meet the requirements of the Education Act and ensure out taxpayer dollars and any private investment by parents is being spent to benefit Australian students,” Mr Birmingham said.
“I have contacted NSW education minister Rob Stokes and our departments will work together to support the school’s students, families and staff.”
Mr Birmingham urged the school’s management to outline plans and give the school’s community certainty for the future.
A Department of Education spokesman said the department was well prepared should students from Malek Fahd Islamic School need to be accommodated in the public system.
“If Malek Fahd Islamic School announces its closure the Department of Education will open a contact centre for affected parents within 24 hours,” he said.
“This centre will provide advice and assistance to enrol their children in a public school.
“This information will be made available on the department’s website.”
The spokesman said all eligible students were entitled to enrol at their local public school.
“The department has a number of primary and secondary schools in the surrounding areas of Malek Fahd Islamic School’s three campuses with the capacity to accommodate additional students,” he said.
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