Independent Muslim schools under threat of closure

The current recession has seen donations decrease with parents unable to pay the £2000 per pupil per year needed.

According to the association, the threat affects almost all 119 independent Muslim schools reliant on fees and donations.

Chairman of AMS, Dr Mohammed Mukadhum described the schools as hand-to-mouth organisations, operating on a shoestring budget. “Many of them have been relatively recently established so there has always been some financial struggle. The possibility of closing down is a looming reality and the smaller schools are the ones that are most vulnerable.”

Head teacher Dr Hojjat Ramzy from The Iqra Girls' School in Oxford, one of the private schools on the brink of closure, said there was not enough funding to run the school and they could be left with no choice but to close the only Islamic school in Oxford.

“Most of the charitable donations we relied on have dried up and many parents have taken their kids out of the school because they can no longer afford the fees.”

Some parents have been sending their children overseas to schools to avoid putting them in the state sector.

All independent faith schools that are struggling financially have the option of joining the state sector. Becoming a Voluntary Aided School (VAS) means they will receive all their running costs from the government and will not be able to charge fees. The school would then have to follow the National Curriculum, but may teach Religious Education according to its own affiliated faith.
The government has said it is keen to move more faith schools into the state sector to avoid more independent schools closing.

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: "It is always an emotive issue when any independent school faces potential financial difficulties - but there will be no bailouts with taxpayer's money.''

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Are you a parent of a child at a Muslim school that is under threat of closure? Have you struggled with paying the fees needed to keep it open? Would you consider sending your child abroad?