By XAVIER SMERDON
WESTERN suburbs residents will have to wait a bit longer for a much-needed school after “time constraints” caused the opening of a primary school on the old Mowbray College Caroline Springs campus to be delayed by up to two years.
Wyndham Councillor Intaj Khan bought the campus for $6 million after it was closed down due to massive debts.
Star revealed last year that he was planning on opening a primary school on the site under the name of West Melbourne Grammar School.
But his plans hit a snag when he was taken to court by Westbourne Grammar School because his chosen name was too similar to theirs.
Mr Khan said the school would now be called West Lakes Grammar School.
And while it was hoped the school would open this year, Mr Khan said a submission to the Victorian Registrations and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) could not be completed on time and he was now looking at a 2015 opening.
“A number of things delayed the opening,” Mr Khan said.
“For one, we were proposing a primary school but the campus was suited for a secondary school, so we had to work around that.”
Mr Khan said he had already received 80 expressions of interest from parents and he was confident the school would be ready to accept students next year.
“We’ve done a feasibility study and we know that we need 220 students minimum in the first year to make it viable,” he said.
“We’ve already received 80 expressions of interest even though we haven’t advertised anything.
“We’ve replied back to those parents and apologised and explained that we won’t be able to open this year.”
Mr Khan said the community was obviously crying out for a new school in the area.
“We’ve had a few hurdles recently and now I think we’re on track,” he said.
“It’s disappointing that we won’t open this year but it is also disappointing that the parents have to go through this.”
