$70m Islamic boys boarding school to be built at Mareeba A LANDMARK $70 million private Islamic boarding school for 1200 boys is to be built at Mareeba. The Standard Bearers Academy will have an Islamic focus but its proponents stress it will be a multi-denomination campus open to all faiths, including Christians and other religions, and students of no religious beliefs. Spokesman Brenton Gibbs said it would be Standard Bearers Academy Holdings’ first school in Australia and, while it shared the same name as others in India and South Africa, it was not linked. It will be financed by local and international donors as well as state and federal government funding. “The new non-profit school will be called the Standard Bearers Academy on account of its mission to educate the leaders of tomorrow to uphold the highest ethical and moral standards,’’ a company statement said. “Standard Bearers Academy will provide a broad-based education infused with an Islamic world view in an inclusive faith-centred environment for up to 1200 boys at a time from around Australia.” The academy will follow the Australian National Curriculum with Year 5-12 students progressing to a Queensland Certificate of Education. Also offered will be the prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma program. Islamic subjects will be offered in after-school pastoral care programs for those boarders from an Islamic faith background. Mr Gibbs would not name those behind the school except to say they were “respected educationalists from around Australia from diverse backgrounds”. “We will be in a position to announce the make-up of the governing council and board of directors in the near future,” he said. “The school principal should also be named shortly.’’ He said the academy, on nearly 40ha of land at Tinaroo Creek Rd, would be a first class educational institution with a particular focus on farming technology and rural activities. “Mareeba has been selected partly because of its inspiring natural beauty and also because it provides an ideal location for the agricultural training, sporting and equestrian activities we intend to offer our students,’’ Mr Gibbs said. The school will include student accommodation and classrooms, a performing arts complex, a multi-faith worship hall, an Olympic-sized pool, a high-performance sports centre, tennis and basketball courts, an equestrian centre, a 400m tartan athletics competition running track, two sports fields, an orchard and a training farm. There will be an onsite teacher training college and a College for Applied Leadership. Standard Bearers Academy Holdings plans to lodge its development application with Mareeba Shire Council before Christmas. It aims to open in 2017 with 200-300 students before expanding to its full capacity.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 01:38:30 +0000