Schools face scrutiny on doctrine

By Russell Skelton
August 7, 2005

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Independent schools - including Victoria's seven Islamic colleges - will be required to teach a curriculum consistent with Australian democratic values under State Government reforms.

The Government, which is to establish a new regulatory authority, has warned it will crack down on non-government schools where there is inappropriate teaching or antisocial behaviour.

Acting Education Minister Jacinta Allan told The Sunday Age: "All schools in Victoria must conform with all Victorian and Australian laws relating to equal opportunity and racial vilification.

"Any school breaking the law will be prosecuted in the same way as any other institution or individual," she said.

Ms Allan said it was a fundamental tenet of society that there be equality between the sexes in schools at all levels and equal access to facilities and opportunities.

Supervising standards in non-government schools would be handed over to a new regulatory body called the Victorian Qualifications Authority with improved powers to investigate breaches and monitor standards. It will replace the Registered Schools Board.

Ms Allan, who is Minister for Education Services, also warned that the Government funded only non-profit schools and that all public funding must be used to support operational costs for delivering education to students. Any attempt to divert the money into other ventures would invoke legal penalties.

The Sunday Age revealed last week that Werribee Islamic College was using funds to build a college in Jakarta and an orphanage school in Banda Aceh as part of an international expansion program.

The report also contained claims by former staff that a visiting imam to the college had vilified Jews and that management had discriminated against female teachers and female students.

Omar Hallak, a Palestinian-born principal who along with other relatives is believed to control the college through a community trust, accused The Sunday Age of mounting a "demonising" attack on Muslims and rejected claims by former staff that a visiting imam had vilified Jews as "horribly incorrect".

The statement confirmed that the college, which has more than 600 students, was establishing a college in Jakarta, but claimed money for the school and orphanage in Aceh had come from donations.

In a statement, the college said it practised equal opportunity between male and female teachers but confirmed that male and female staff were separated to "prevent sexual harassment" and for religious reasons.

Non-Muslim women teachers were also required to wear Islamic clothing.

"Like any other schools in Victoria we do have our own dress code. In our case, this involves that female staff must wear a hijab (headscarf) and abaya (long dress jacket) once they enter the premises."

Ms Allan said it was the state's responsibility to monitor activities and standards in non-government schools, but said there was need for information to be better shared between the Federal Government and the states and between the relevant "monitoring bodies".

She said the State Government was reviewing the whole issue of standards as part of reforms to the Education Act with a view to tightening them.

"In the meantime, the current regulatory requirements for non-government schools make it clear that schools are to demonstrate that they are teaching a curriculum which reflects the approved Victorian curriculum and to prepare students for contemporary society," Ms Allan said.

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils has warned that young Muslims were prey to visiting imams and religious scholars. Council president Ameer Ali said extremists posed a problem for vulnerable and impressionable youth.