UK: Gov't to scrutinize plans for Muslim girls' school
Plans for an "unprecedented" 5,000-place Muslim girls' boarding school will be scrutinised closely by the Government, junior minister Diana Johnson has said.
Ms Johnson told MPs there would have to be "very careful consideration" of such a school, which would be easily the biggest boarding school in the UK.
She was responding to a question from Labour MP Gordon Prentice (Pendle), who warned that building the school in his constituency could "undermine community cohesion".
Charity Islamic Help has launched a funding drive to raise over £1 million to buy buildings which would then be turned into the Pendle Boarding School for Girls.
Highlighting that 45% of Muslim women in the UK have no academic qualifications, the charity's website says: "There is a huge demand for a Muslim boarding school for girls to educate the Muslim women of the future.
"Islamic Help have located a building, and have until the January 10, 2010 to raise £1 million to secure its purchase (several million pounds below its market value)."
Once completed, the school would also provide a teacher training centre, counselling centre and gymnasium and sports hall "to meet the demand in other services for Muslim women".
(more)
Source: The Press Association
Plans for an "unprecedented" 5,000-place Muslim girls' boarding school will be scrutinised closely by the Government, junior minister Diana Johnson has said.
Ms Johnson told MPs there would have to be "very careful consideration" of such a school, which would be easily the biggest boarding school in the UK.
She was responding to a question from Labour MP Gordon Prentice (Pendle), who warned that building the school in his constituency could "undermine community cohesion".
Charity Islamic Help has launched a funding drive to raise over £1 million to buy buildings which would then be turned into the Pendle Boarding School for Girls.
Highlighting that 45% of Muslim women in the UK have no academic qualifications, the charity's website says: "There is a huge demand for a Muslim boarding school for girls to educate the Muslim women of the future.
"Islamic Help have located a building, and have until the January 10, 2010 to raise £1 million to secure its purchase (several million pounds below its market value)."
Once completed, the school would also provide a teacher training centre, counselling centre and gymnasium and sports hall "to meet the demand in other services for Muslim women".
(more)
Source: The Press Association
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