Al Falaah College
Encyclopedia
Al Falaah College is an alternative
, independent
school situated in the coastal city of Durban
, in KwaZulu-Natal
, South Africa
.
, Durban. The school marked the establishment of the first Islam
ically-based independent school in Durban, South Africa.
The school ran for the first year with a student population of 74. The first set of matriculants
, a total of 21, graduated
from what was then known as Lockhat Islamia College in 1991. The school was housed in Cato Manor for 12 years.
With the growth of the college, in 1997, under the name of Lockhat Islamia College, the high school moved to Umbilo Road, Durban while the primary school was moved to Westville
. This move was a temporary move due to the construction of the new campus. In 1999 the college was re-located to its present campus in Lotus Road, Springfield, Durban.
. The intermediate and Further Education and Training (FET) phase have separate classes for male and female students. AFC participates in the National Curriculum Examinations
.
The college emblem consists of a crescent to the right, signifying the birth of a new era of enlightenment. The minaret
to the left signifies the Muslim
call to success and the center holds the book of knowledge. The quotation within the book is a saying of the Islamic prophet
, Muhammad
, encouraging the endeavor towards academic excellence.
. Furthermore it was recently recognized as by the Department of Education to be amongst the top 200 maths and science schools in the country.
Al Falaah College offers the following sports:
Alternative school
Alternative school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides part of alternative education. It is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional...
, independent
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
school situated in the coastal city of Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, in KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
History
In 1985 Ahmedia School opened its doors in Bellair Road, Cato ManorCato Manor, Durban
Cato Manor is a working class area located seven kilometers from Durban's city centre.It was formed when Indian market gardeners came to settle in the area some time after it was given to George Christopher Cato in 1865, who was the first mayor of Durban in 1854...
, Durban. The school marked the establishment of the first Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ically-based independent school in Durban, South Africa.
The school ran for the first year with a student population of 74. The first set of matriculants
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
, a total of 21, graduated
Matriculation in South Africa
In South Africa, matriculation is a term commonly used to refer to the final year of high school and the qualification received on graduating from high school, although strictly speaking, it refers to the minimum university entrance requirements. The first formal examination was conducted in...
from what was then known as Lockhat Islamia College in 1991. The school was housed in Cato Manor for 12 years.
With the growth of the college, in 1997, under the name of Lockhat Islamia College, the high school moved to Umbilo Road, Durban while the primary school was moved to Westville
Westville, KwaZulu-Natal
Westville is an area near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, which is situated 20 km inland from the Durban city centre. Formerly an independent municipality governed by a Town Council, it now forms part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, which also includes Durban...
. This move was a temporary move due to the construction of the new campus. In 1999 the college was re-located to its present campus in Lotus Road, Springfield, Durban.
Al Falaah College today
The school enrollment stands at 800 students. The college caters for both male and female students from Grade R - 12Education in South Africa
South Africa has a 3 tier system of education starting with primary school, followed by high school and tertiary education in the form of universities and universities of technology....
. The intermediate and Further Education and Training (FET) phase have separate classes for male and female students. AFC participates in the National Curriculum Examinations
National Senior Certificate
The National Senior Certificate or NSC is the equivalent of a high school diploma and is the school-leaving certificate in South Africa. This certificate is commonly known as the matriculant certificate, as grade 12 is known as the matriculation grade...
.
School emblem
The school emblem has changed three times during the school's existence due to the name changes that the school underwent.The college emblem consists of a crescent to the right, signifying the birth of a new era of enlightenment. The minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
to the left signifies the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
call to success and the center holds the book of knowledge. The quotation within the book is a saying of the Islamic prophet
Prophets of Islam
Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
, Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, encouraging the endeavor towards academic excellence.
Islamic curriculum
In addition to the National Curriculum the following studies are integrated into the Al Falaah curriculum:- Islamic Studies (Theory)
- Islamic Studies (Oral)
- ArabicArabic languageArabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
- Hifz - Memorization of the Qur'anQur'anThe Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
(Optional)
Academics
In the Grade 12 examination each year Al Falaah College achieves an average of over 2 distinctions per student. The College was also voted among the top 18 independent schools in South Africa by The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times (South Africa)
The Sunday Times is a popular South African Sunday newspaper. It has an audited circulation of 504,000 and a weekly readership of 3.2 million, making it the largest weekly newspaper in South Africa. Recently it was involved in exposing a corruption scandal involving the South African government's...
. Furthermore it was recently recognized as by the Department of Education to be amongst the top 200 maths and science schools in the country.
| Matric Examination Results | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of candidates | 55 | 45 | 49 | 59 | 51 | 53 | 54 | 73 |
| Number of failures | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| University endorsement (%) | 97 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 96 | 99 |
| A aggregates (%) | 31 | 33 | 38 | 50 | 47 | 32 | ||
| A-B-C aggregates (%) | 86 | 90 | 95 | 100 | 100 | 90.5 | ||
| Subject distinctions | 94 | 81 | 98 | 142 | 128 | 159 | 126 | 175 |
| Number in top 50 (KZN) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Sports
- soccer
- cricket
- swimming
- netball
- mini-cricket
- table tennis
- indoor soccer
Achievements
- 100% accreditation with UMALUSI (National Monitoring Body for Independent Schools)
- Voted among the top 18 independent schools in South Africa (Sunday Times -2005)
- 100% exemption matric pass rate over the past few years (with over 2 distinctions per student)
- Awarded recognition from Department of Science & Technology for exceptional progress in Science and Mathematics
- Awarded recognition for outstanding humanitarian efforts by many non-governmental organizationNon-governmental organizationA non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s - Hafiz graduates