An Islamic school has been told it risks being deregistered if it does not sack its principal, after an investigation found he was “not a fit and proper person”.
Sheikh Abdulghani Albaf was appointed as principal of the New Madinah College at Young, in southern NSW, in 2024.
A year later state and federal authorities launched an investigation into allegedly antisemitic comments about Zionism made on a social media account that carried his name.
Midway through 2025, the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) started its own investigation into the school’s policies and procedures, including visiting the kindergarten-to-year-10 campus.
Sheikh Albaf stood aside from his role in January.
The New Madinah College in Young could be deregistered if it does not sack its principal. (ABC News: Andy Mangelsdorf)
This week, a NESA spokesperson said its registration committee had now determined Sheikh Albaf did “not meet the fit and proper requirements” for being principal.
A letter from NESA, published on the school’s website, said the decision was based on several reasons.
Those included an “ongoing pattern of behaviour, exhibited in social media postings [and] a lack of remorse displayed by him”.
It described his behaviour as “inconsistent with the role of a principal in a NSW school in setting an appropriate ethical and moral tone for school community”.
“Sheikh Abdulghani Albaf’s public commentary was of a concerning and hateful tone,” the letter stated.
It also warned that if Sheikh Albaf remained principal and “a responsible person for the College”, it may constitute non-compliance.
“The Committee may consider a recommendation to cancel the College’s registration,” the letter said.
In response to the decision, Sheikh Albaf has started proceedings against NESA in the NSW Supreme Court.
The ABC reached out to Sheikh Albaf, but were referred to his solicitor.
His solicitor, Stephen Blanks, confirmed the matter was listed for a directions hearing next week in Sydney.
The ABC has contacted the school for comment.