Students at the Islamic School of Canberra face an uncertain future after the federal government has again threatened to withdraw the school's funding.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Education Minister Simon Birmingham has given the Weston school until February 3 to prove it deserves federal funds after it failed to meet strict reporting requirements and obligations linked with governance and financial management.
The school lost its $1 million in funding in April this year but had it reinstated in September after vowing to improve its performance and follow the government's directions. The cut followed a long-running investigation into its finances and connections with the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils.
"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 brought uncertainty to students, parents and staff," Senator Birmingham said.
"I am eager to avoid starting another school year with uncertainty and therefore urge the school to provide a complete response as soon as possible, which would then enable my department to make [a] prompt decision to provide certainty to parents, staff and students."
Islamic School of Canberra chairwoman Azra Khan said the school was confident it would meet the government's needs. She said the school was yet to hear back from the Education Department on its alternative solutions to the "onerous" conditions placed upon it earlier this year.
"If you can appreciate, those conditions require the school to acquire certain services which all come at a price, so it's all about how we would achieve that when we are not funded to do that," she said.
"The department still has to give us a bit more information as to why those alternative solutions are not acceptable. That would be helpful."
Ms Khan said parents were confident in the school and its boards as shown by an increase in enrolments to 250 pupils next year.
"The school is in very good hands, it is operating very efficiently, our enrolments have grown, we have the confidence of the school community and the community at large and we will work and continue to work with the Department of Education to make sure that we meet all those conditions to the department's satisfaction," she said.
Eighty per cent of the school's operational costs are met with federal government funding.
