Muslim school under financial investigation

AUCKLAND: The country’s largest Muslim school is at the centre of a probe after complaints to the Ministry of Education.

Last week, auditors from PricewaterhouseCoopers began a forensic financial investigation into mismanagement of funds and staffing issues at Al-Madinah School in Mangere, Auckland.

The principal had hired his brother as a head of department and his sisterinlaw as a school counsellor.

Parents were notified in a newsletter that the board of trustees had been dissolved and replaced by a new commissioner, Bruce Adin, a former Minister of Education regional manager.

‘‘I have been in this job for a week, so I am unable to comment. I am aware there has been statutory intervention in the past,’’ Mr Adin told the Weekend Herald.

In a letter to parents, Mr Adin wrote that the role of commissioner had ‘‘all the powers, functions and responsibilities of a board of trustees’’.

‘‘I will work closely with the principal, the senior managers and the Ministry of Education to address any concerns so that Al-Madinah School can continue to educate the students successfully,’’ he wrote.

The school’s founder and principal, Asin Ali, has also emailed staff to read a chapter from the Koran ‘‘at least once this morning so that Allah protects our school and the community’’.

‘‘Please may I request you to forgive me and make special dua [prayer of supplication or request].’’

Mr Ali would not comment to the Herald and referred questions to Mr Adin.

But the sole remaining member of the school’s board of trustees, and now its acting chairman, Sonny Tazeen Ali, said he had raised concerns with the Ministry of Education and was supportive of the investigation.

‘‘There is a lack of compliance of procedural policy at school,’’ he claimed.

A parent from the school claimed the board had been dissolved because of ‘‘financial’’ issues and ‘‘conflicts of interest’’.

They also said Asin Ali had hired several family members in key roles: his brother Amjad Ali is an assistant principal and the digital technology head of department, and his sisterinlaw Moveena Rasheed is the school counsellor.

Amjad Ali said his background was in electronics.

‘‘I am a qualified technology teacher but not in computers. I was forced to take the job HOD of computers because we are shortstaffed,’’ he said.

Ministry of Education sector enablement and support deputy secretary Katrina Casey said the ministry had been ‘‘supporting’’ AlMadinah School for just over two years, after receiving several complaints about ‘‘employment issues, financial mismanagement and issues with recruitment of staff’’.

The ministry would continue to work with the school to ‘‘address issues and ensure that the education outcomes for students are supported effectively’’, she said.

The Office of the Auditorgeneral had previously raised concerns regarding the school’s financial management and compliance.

Its 2017 audit ‘‘noted multiple irregularities, including inadequate documentation for some payments, payments that appeared excessive for the purpose, and uncertainties over the extent of transactions with related parties and whether these had been carried out at arm’slength’’. — NZME