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Daily Star Singles Out Muslim 'Free Schools' for Criticism

Daily Star Singles Out Muslim 'Free Schools' for Criticism

Categories: Latest News

Tuesday December 07 2010

 Daily Star   The Daily Star, not one to do away with tradition, singles out for news the expression of interest by three Muslim faith schools to set up “free schools” in Blackburn. An article in the DS reports:

“Teachers have attacked plans to build five new state-funded Muslim schools, warning it will ‘segregate’ Britain’s education system.”

“They say the move will take millions of pounds from other schools.”

How lucky for the DS that someone has used the word “segregation” in a debate that also includes the word “Muslims.”

The expression of interest has come from bosses at Tauheedul Islam Girls School, Islamiyah School and Al-Islah School – as reported in The Blackburn Citizen yesterday.

British Muslim citizens expressing their interest in taking part in a major plank of the coalition government’s education policy is a cause for concern at the DS rather than an encouragement of the thriving participation of British Muslims in civic life.

Not surprisingly, it did not express the same concern when it reported in September on the first set of free schools that were to open in Britain under the new policy. That the first 16 free schools announced included two Jewish faith schools, one Sikh school and one Hindu school did not find mention in the DS report then. It seems that only the participation of Muslims in British civic life sets off alarm bells at the DS.

The article further reports that, if granted free school status, the Muslim faith schools “won’t have to follow the National Curriculum” but fails to mention that all free schools have freedom from following the National Curriculum. They are also able to set their own pay and conditions for staff, and have the ability to change the lengths of their terms and school days. Perhaps the DS needs reminding of this.

You can contact the Daily Star using the details below.

Email: [email protected]
Address: Daily Star, Express Newspapers, Northern & Shell Building, 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN.

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