Governance probe into Langford Islamic school

Federal Minister for Education Simon Birmingham said the Department of Education and Training went through a review that had identified concerns over the governance, financial and accountability arrangements in six schools in the country.

The schools which received the notification were all affiliated with the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils.

If they are found guilty, they risk the removal of commonwealth funding.

Each school has 28 days to respond to the notice and demonstrate they comply with the Act. The chairman of the Australian Federal Institute of Islamic Council Rateb Jneid released a statement, saying that the Langford Islamic College would fully comply with the requirements of the Australian Education Act ahead of the 28-day period.

“Langford Islamic College is a very good school with highly committed and professional staff and a highly motivated school community,” he said.

“The Board has only just received the documentation from the Commonwealth and needs to review it before we respond in full.”

He said the Board accepted without reservation the requirements set under the Act and were confident they would satisfy the requirements.

Senator Birmingham said in May this year the Department initiated a formal review into the six school authorities following ongoing concerns about their financial management and governance arrangements.

“This action does not come lightly,” he said.

“All schools must have effective management and accountability arrangements in place to support the best possible education outcomes for their students.”

The other schools to be hit with the notification included Islamic College of Brisbane (Queensland), the Islamic College of Melbourne (Victoria), the Islamic College of South Australia (South Australia), the Islamic School of Canberra (Australian Capital Territory) and the Malek Fahd Islamic School (New South Wales).