Al-Faisal College

Al-Faisal College

"Faith, Knowledge, Success"
Address
149 Auburn Road
Auburn, Sydney, New South Wales, 2144
Australia Australia
Information
School type Independent co-educational
Religious affiliation(s) Islamic
Established 1998
Educational authority Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards
Principal Mrs Ghazwa Adra Khan (wife of the Managing Director)
Managing director Sheikh Shafiq R. Abdullah Khan
Grades K–12
Age 5 to 18
Enrolment 1660[1] (2013)
Campuses Auburn,
Campbelltown
Affiliations Australian Federation of Islamic Councils
Website Official website

Al-Faisal College (AFC) is a non-government, Islamic, combined primary and secondary school, operated by Al-Faisal College Ltd,[2] with campuses in Auburn and Campbelltown. The college was established in 1998 at the Auburn campus, and expanded to the Campbelltown campus in 2013.[3]

History and campuses

The Auburn campus opened on 27 April 1998 with 200 students from Kindergarten to Year 2. In 2007 the first cohort of Year 12 students, completing the Higher School Certificate graduated from the college.[4] Between 2008 and 2013 the school nearly doubled in size, from approximately 860 students in 2008 to 1660 students in 2013.[4][5]

Al-Faisal College took over Iqra Grammar College at Minto, Campbelltown in 2013 with 440 students and 28 teaching staff bring the total number of enrollments to 1660.[6]

In July 2013, Al-Faisal College bought a 4 hectares (9.9 acres) property in Minto where it planned to open a campus for 600-1500 students by 28 April 2014

In August 2013 the college's deputy principal for Years 7 to 12, Peter Rompies, said that school will likely not be able to cater for the 200 to 300 students on the "huge waiting lists" for Kindergarten 2014 applications.[7]

Curriculum

Al-Faisal College teaches according to the NSW Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards mandated syllabuses. Students from Kindergarten to Year 12 study Arabic as a Language Other Than English and study the Quran and complete Islamic studies. The school also has a variety of clubs for years 7-12 ranging for debating to soccer and cake decorating.[8]

Students completing the Higher School Certificate at the college study Arabic and Islamic Studies, along with the compulsory subject English, and other subjects of their choosing.[8]

The college also offers a number of sporting and extra curricular activities including with other schools and local organisations.[8]

Funding

The Muslim World League (MWL), founded by Saudi Crown Prince Faisal, is closely linked to Sheikh Shafiq Khan, the Managing Director of the al-Faisal College. The MWL provided the money to assist in the setting up of the college.[9] While it has been reported that Khan's power rests on his close relationship with the Saudi Government and its Islamic Affairs Ministry, which uses the kingdom's wealth to promote its conservative Wahhabi view of Islam,[10] in response Khan has said the Saudi funding of the school does not mean Saudis have control or influence on the schools' curriculums.[9]

In 2003, Shafiq Khan was involved in a court case where he was accused of diverting more than $1 million derived from halal certification to charities including the Al-Faisal College. Khan negotiated a settlement and agreed to return the money.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Annual Report for 2013" (Online PDF). Al-Faisal College. 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  2. ↑ "Non-Government Registered Schools List". Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards. New South Wales Government. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  3. ↑ Ghazwa Adra Khan. "Message from the Principal". Al-Faisal College. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Annual Report for 2008" (Online PDF). Al-Faisal College. 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  5. ↑ Azeem, Mohammed (19 March 2014). "Applications submission DA492/2008" (Downloadable PDF). Liverpool City Council. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Al-Faisal College, Campbelltown Campus, Minto, NSW". My School. ACARA (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority). 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  7. ↑ McNeilage, Amy (4 August 2013). "Islamic student numbers soar". Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 "Curriculum". Al-Faisal College. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  9. 1 2 Kerbaj, Richard (16 July 2007). "College 'based on radical teaching'". The Australian. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "Revealed: the Saudis' paymaster in Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 September 2005. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Chris (28 December 2014). "Why halal certification is in turmoil". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 January 2015.

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