If they all can't do what is a government requirement for funding shut the lot down.
- The Australian
- 2:07PM September 29, 2016
The Islamic College in South Australia has been put on notice today that it is in danger of being stripped of its government funding after failing to meet proper governance standards.
The federal Education Department has written to the board of the college, inviting it to explain within 28 days why it should continue to receive federal funding after failing to meet several conditions.
Education Minister Simon Birmingham expressed his disappointment after the school had been given several chances and said the decision was not being taken lightly.
“It is frustrating that the school has not lived up to its end of the bargain and failed to meet the governance standards and again bought uncertainty to students, parents and staff,’’ Senator Birmingham said.
“It is disappointing that after the number of chances this school has been given and the constructive work the Department has been doing with the authority since November that the school has still failed to meet the standards and expectations placed on them.’’
“This decision has not been taking lightly, however the Department was left no choice following the school authority not meeting the strict conditions placed on them in April concerning regular reporting requirements and obligations around governance and financial management.’’
He said that government had to be of the “highest standard and funding should be exclusively used for the education and welfare of students’’.
The Islamic College of South Australian in West Croydon has 597 students from kindergarten to year 12, and the government’s My School website shows it received $4.7 million in recurrent federal government funding in 2014.
The Australian understands the Islamic College of South Australia’s board failed to get an independent auditor or accountant to verify loans that are with the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, and didn’t undertake an independent assessment of its financial management and governance policies.
The board is also understood to have failed to create a conflict of interest register.
Other schools run by AFIC have come under recent scrutiny.
The nation’s largest Islamic school Malek Fahd in Sydney, which teaches 2,400 students, is currently fighting through the courts to keep its commonwealth funding.
The Federal Court in Sydney heard in June that AFIC had been accused of siphoning tens of millions of public funds from the school. AFIC denies the allegation.
In February, Senator Birmingham ordered $20 million in federal funding for Malek Fahd be withdrawn in a move that would have closed the college.
An audit found the school had consistently failed to comply with basic financial and governance standards, with millions of dollars being spent on management fees and loans paid to AFIC.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...g/news-story/098ae9f14c89f42d0c83ffc150352c42
