Islamic Mooroopna College set to open in 2026 on historic Mooroopna hospital site
A new Islamic school is coming to Mooroopna, but its impact on the nearby troubled Shepparton super school remains unclear.
Goulburn Valley
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A new school has been proposed on the historic site of the old Mooroopna Hospital, but whether that will alleviate problems at the nearby state super school remains to be seen.
Illuminate Australia has put forward a proposal to turn the site into Mooroopna College — an Islamic coeducational facility for 90 students from prep to year 12.
According to the organisation’s website, they want to provide “Muslim children with the opportunity to receive a high quality education in an environment that is inspired and instructed by Shia Muslim values and culture”.
“We want our community to benefit from successive generations of morally upright students who can contribute to the wider Australian society with the two wings of faith (Iman) and knowledge (I’lm),” the website states.
“Our mission is to establish independent not-for-profit faith-based schools aligned with Islamic values in all major cities of Australia.”
A Greater Shepparton City Council spokeperson told the Herald Sun planning approvals for non-government schools rested with the state planning minister but that the old, and in parts derelict, hospital site had been purchased for that purpose.
The Planning Department told the Herald Sun the initial proposal — which was approved in June — had a cap of 90 students, but the permit had the ability to increase student enrolment capacity if needed.
Illuminate Australia has schools in Bellfield in Sydney and Elizabeth, an outer suburb of Adelaide, with other upcoming projects in Perth and Blacktown, NSW.
The Shepparton region has been plagued by issues at super school Greater Shepparton Secondary College.
The college was formed in 2020 by merging Shepparton High School, McGuire College, Wanganui Park Secondary College and Mooroopna Secondary College.
However, the merger has not been well received, with students ditching it in its first year.
College of Mooroopna Learning — a coalition arguing for the reopening of Mooroopna Secondary College — spokeswoman Lea Campbell said she was not sure what impact the proposed private school would have on students wanting to leave the super school but said there would need to be traffic improvements at the site.
“Traffic in that area is particularly problematic,” she said.
“What the community is looking for predominantly is an alternative in the state system.
“On the one hand our community is very much welcoming new schools as a matter of providing more choice, but how that relates to the Greater Shepparton Secondary College … I’m not sure.”
Instead, she’s calling on Education Minister Ben Carroll to visit the former site and reopen the high school.
Ms Campbell said doing so would provide alternative state education for those living in Greater Shepparton.
Ms Campbell said it was a massive financial struggle to pull kids out of the school to access private options and a time burden to drive to other further away state schools.
A Victorian government spokeperson said the government had invested a lot of money into the school.
“We have invested more than $140 million to deliver the state-of-the-art Greater Shepparton Secondary College and local students can now choose from a broader range of subjects in the best possible facilities”, they said.
“As with all schools, enrolments fluctuate however Greater Shepparton Secondary College enrolments remain strong.”
At this stage, the Herald Sun understands there are no plans to build an additional secondary college in the Greater Shepparton area.
The former Mooroopna Secondary College site has been leased to Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative for the medium term, with the community organisation having carried out extensive renovations to accommodate its housing and family programs.
Illuminate Australia was contacted for comment.
The content summaries were created with the assistance of AI technology, then edited and approved for publication by an editor.
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