topic Re: Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School in Community Spirit

Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School

icyfroth — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 04:20:28 GMT

The federal government has pulled all of its funding for Australia’s largest Islamic school, potentially putting the centre’s future in doubt.

The Malek Fahd school in Greenacre, in Sydney’s southwest, was issued with a notice from the Department of Education yesterday detailing a stop to the funding.

Education authorities made the decision to revoke $20 million in Commonwealth funding from April 8, because the money was not being spent on education – a requirement for funding under the Education Act.

The Daily Telegraph has reported the decision to stop the funding comes after several warnings.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/02/09/06/01/future-of-australias-largest-islamic-school-in-doubt-after-federal-government-axes-funding

No word on what the funding has been spent on.

Re: Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 04:42:32 GMT

with majority of the funds coming from

the government, they will probably

close the school. that's 2000 students

looking for new schools.

Re: Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 04:46:56 GMT

The former business manager of embattled Sydney Islamic school Malek Fahd has welcomed a decision to cut federal funding.

The federal government spent $19 million on the school last year but now says it will withdraw funding over concerns about the school's financial management.

Malek Fahd's former business manager Agim Garana says he's not surprised, citing mismanagement under school chairman Hafez Kassem.

"I'm very pleased that the decision has been made, because you don't want a school like this to run the way it has been running," Mr Garana told AAP.

"The money should be going to education. Why isn't that happening?"

Mr Garana said contracts for employment at the school had been awarded in a way that breached proper tender processes.

The school was paying $1.5 million per year in rent to the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils - which Mr Kassem presides over - when the land was worth less than half that, Mr Garana said.

Mr Kassem and AFIC have been contacted for comment.

Mr Garana said he was sacked last October for opposing Mr Kassem and added that the chairman had refused to stand down despite warnings from education authorities.

He called for the board's removal, saying the school wouldn't survive without federal funding.

"Parents are extremely upset," he said.

"It's embarrassing how this man has continued to survive so long."

Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said the school was put on notice last year for not complying with "fundamental governance, financial and accountability requirements".

"After carefully considering the response to the issues raised in the compliance notice, my department had to make the difficult decision to revoke the funding approval," he said in a statement.

"School governance should be of the highest standard and funding should be exclusively used for the education and welfare of students."

More than 2200 students were enrolled at Malek Fahd in 2014.

The education department has directed concerned parents to contact the school.

Five other schools around the country are under review: the Islamic College of Brisbane, the Islamic College of Melbourne, the Islamic College of South Australia, the Islamic School of Canberra, and Langford Islamic College in WA.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/02/09/ex-staffer-slams-islamic-school-management

Re: Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School

lind9650 — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 09:34:39 GMT

Islamic Schools are all good and well, like Catholic or Jewish Shools. but --- how many non muslim Australian or English teachers do they employ? The children have to learn the language, the laws, the history of our country. etc, etc, etc.

Just wondering?

Erica

Re: Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School

icyfroth — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 11:21:04 GMT

So they were awarding contracts to their mates?

How were they spending the money?

Re: Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School

the_great_she_elephant — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 11:33:41 GMT

@icyfroth wrote:
So they were awarding contracts to their mates?

How were they spending the money?

Probably on the same same kind of things on which most corrupt businessmen spend their illgotten gains - flashy cars, flashier clothes, big houses, expensive holidays. . . . the list is endless.

Re: Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 12:46:28 GMT

@the_great_she_elephant wrote:
@icyfroth wrote:
So they were awarding contracts to their mates?

How were they spending the money?
Probably on the same same kind of things on which most corrupt businessmen spend their illgotten gains - flashy cars, flashier clothes, big houses, expensive holidays. . . . the list is endless.

so no chance for the school

staying open then? poor kids....

saw an interview with the worried

parents. 100's of teachers jobs on

the line...

at least dept of education is confident

the students will find places in local

schools. maybe its for the best considering

the above

Re: Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School

johcaschro — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 14:07:49 GMT

Considering what Islam teaches about gender roles in society, I think it's for the best if the school closes and the pupils attend local secular schools.

Like so many other people who represent themselves as role-model religious institutions, those in charge demonstrably don't act on (and by extension, don't believe in) one single moral lesson which they preach.

There's no good reason (other than an economic, cost-shifting one) why our govt gives any funding at all to religious schools of any denomination. These are private schools, operating on a private business model. They should either be able to make a success of their business or quietly close down and fade away and cease demanding that our tax dollars provide them with a subsidy.

And I also wonder; if the money wasn't spent on the education of the children, what was it spent on?

If it's our money (our taxes) then we have the right to know how and where it was spent.

Re: Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School

chameleon54 — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 22:06:46 GMT

@icyfroth wrote:
So they were awarding contracts to their mates?

How were they spending the money?

One upside,...... if they all lose their jobs, it sounds like they could have a budding career in politics.....

Re: Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School

lloydslights — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 22:33:55 GMT

Thoughts about the 150 or so contracted teachers and support staff who will be without work should the school close?

The displaced schoolchildren?

Nearby (unresourced) schools which would be needed to "take up the slack"?

To overcome this disgusting situation, I envisage steps similar to a Local Council being taken over by Administrators as the only solution.

DEB

Re: Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School

lloydslights — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 22:52:25 GMT

@chameleon54 wrote:
@icyfroth wrote:
So they were awarding contracts to their mates?

How were they spending the money?
One upside,...... if they all lose their jobs, it sounds like they could have a budding career in politics.....

Local Council? Where that too, is being taken over by Administrators?

They've all been "using the system" There has been some slack adherence to the Rules/System; which happens when times are good. Now that we need to tighten our belts (days of entitlement are over) discrepancies are being found

DEB

Re: Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School

johcaschro — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 15:12:01 GMT

"The Federal Government is threatening to withdraw funding for six private Islamic schools, following concerns about their financial management.

The schools are run by the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils and located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra.

Formal notices have been sent to the schools, following an audit earlier this year.

Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said there had been "ongoing concerns" about their financial management and governance arrangements."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-13/six-islamic-schools-threatened-with-funding-cuts/6939172

Six schools and all Islamic, siphoning off Australian tax payers money.

and from an older news story:

"Australia's leading Islamic schools are in the midst of a leadership crisis, with school principal sackings, accusations of mismanagement of taxpayer funds, slipping standards and concerns they are becoming more hardline."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-07/islamic-schools-in-midst-of-leadership-crisis/6453482

What I see in these stories is a consistent attitude of arrogant disregard by the Muslim organizations for the "kuffars" of Australia who are so stupid as to give them public funding (our tax dollars), expecting in all innocence that these funds will be spent on the education of the children rather than being siphoned off to fund god-knows-what underhanded, scheming, lying purpose of those who really hate us for what we stand for because we are not Muslim and so they feel justified in exploiting us any way they can and we're the fools for letting them get away with it.

(good rant, eh?) 😉

So far, there are six such Islamic schools under investigation for similar mis-appropriations of public funding.

Why do we give any religious schools at all public funding? Aren't we supposed to be a society which holds that the separation of Church and State is a "good thing"?

If a devout congregation wishes to front up and donate their money to keep a religious school operating, then well and good, but I'm an atheist and I resent even one cent of the money I pay in taxes going to subsidise any religion's schools.

Re: Government Pulls Funding For Islamic School

azureline** — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 23:15:46 GMT

@icyfroth wrote:
So they were awarding contracts to their mates?

How were they spending the money?

"The money should be going to education. Why isn't that happening?"

Mr Garana said contracts for employment at the school had been awarded in a way that breached proper tender processes.

The school was paying $1.5 million per year in rent to the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils - which Mr Kassem presides over - when the land was worth less than half that, Mr Garana said.

Mr Kassem and AFIC have been contacted for comment.

Mr Garana said he was sacked last October for opposing Mr Kassem and added that the chairman had refused to stand down despite warnings from education authorities.

He called for the board's removal, saying the school wouldn't survive without federal funding.

It seems to be very clear how the money was being spent. (and who instigated the investigation)

Employment contracts for teachers are done the same way in our state schools, it's the Principal's choice, same as cleaning contracts etc, not necessarily the lowest tender..

Corruption everywhere and no one knows about it until "someone" spills the beans