The Islamic Schools of Victoria


The Islamic Schools of Victoria, or otherwise known as Al-Taqwa College, is a primary and secondary school located on Sayers Road, in Truganina, Victoria, outside Melbourne, Australia. The college is also known as Werribee College.
The College was built on a 50-acre property on the western side of Melbourne. The College was established by the Islamic Trust fund in 1986. The name was changed to Al-Taqwa College in 2010. Next to the main campus on Sayers Road, a mosque was built. Al-Taqwa College is a member of Independent Schools Victoria which is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to Independent education.
When the school was first established, classes ranged from Prep. to Year 10. As the school grew it expanded and added on VCE. The school has another campus called the Olive Branch, which runs occasional classes in Agriculture and Horticulture. The school has a branch in Indonesia, named the Al-Taqwa College, International Islamic School of Indonesia.
In 2015, the number of students at Al-Taqwa College is close to 2,000 with numbers expected to reach 2,500 students in 2018. Subjects taught at the college include English, Maths, Languages other than English, Information Technology, Business, Art and Physical Education.
Students at Al-Taqwa College come from various backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures. The school's foundation is strongly based upon ethos of equality, equity and cohesive unity. Families of students have migrated from the following countries:

Controversy

In 2005 there were a number of issues of concern raised involving the school.
In 2015, the school principal Omar Hallak was reported to have told students that the terrorist group ISIS was part of a Western plot. The principal's comments were condemned as "reckless and dangerous if true" by James Merlino, Victoria's Education Minister.
During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, Al-Taqwa College was the biggest case cluster in Australia, with 164 cases.