OUR
STORY
The founder of Imam Ali College, Ali Asghar Al Moderresi, comes from a long line of highly esteemed Islamic teachers, preachers and authors. When he arrived in Australia, he realised that there were many children in the community who could not read the Arabic language. There were no schools teaching the Islamic culture or the Arabic language to the next generation. Moderresi sought to change this; to empower the community through language education and cultural instruction.
On the 13th of Rajab 2005, Imam Ali College opened its doors, welcoming all seekers of knowledge. It was the first Arabic Language school in greater Sydney. For the initial Friday night class there was a small group of five students. The word spread and by the following week 150 eager students attended.
Since then, numbers have steadily increased and there are now 450 students enrolled in the Imam Ali College Saturday school. Students come from all over Sydney to learn about their shared culture and language.
Students who arrived at the school with little or no knowledge of Arabic are now our role models and success stories. They are thriving; they can recite the holy Quran, they study law, engineering and medicine at university and they are active, supportive and generous members of our community.
AIMS & OBJECTIVES
At Imam Ali College we aim to provide our students with a safe, supportive and understanding learning environment that encourages every student to develop to their highest potential.
Our school is a community. We know that students benefit from a wholistic approach to their moral and academic education; parents are welcome and we encourage positive communication between families and staff. When parents and teachers work together, our students have a greater chance of achieving their goals.
Imam Ali College aims to:
-
Develop the academic excellence of its young adults and create pathways to university
-
Provide a safe place for students to ask questions and have a better understanding of the world around them
-
Develop positive relationships with parents, to support them and be supported by them
-
Encourage a sense of trust between teachers and students, based on the common goal of the child’s success
We aim for our graduates to be well educated adults who are responsible Australian citizens. Our goal is that they are articulate, thoughtful, ambitious and hard-working people who value and contribute meaningfully towards their community.
MISSION STATEMENT
Imam Ali College is an educational organisation. Our mission is to provide a values-based education in a supportive and challenging learning environment and to teach each student the pure Islamic core values of equality, honesty, kindness, generosity and respect. We aim to help create a self-aware generation who will make a positive contribution to society.
Our main goal is to build strong and long lasting relationships with parents to share the responsibility for developing each student’s social and moral skills. We want our students to become independent, confident adults with high self-esteem.
In today’s multicultural society, it is important that we acknowledge our population’s diverse backgrounds and promote the learning and respect of one another’s cultures. The weekly education programs provided by the Imam Ali College aim to enrich the local community by teaching the Arabic language; its history and our cultural values.
At the college we provide the high quality educational resources needed to fully grasp complex ideas. Classes offered are from a beginner’s Kindergarten class to an advanced, senior level.
Imam Ali College integrates linguistic, literary and cultural learning through a variety of approaches. We aim to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the Arabic language and culture, offering our services to all within the community, and co-existing within western society despite our differences.
