Miraj Academy in Clifton, NJ - Salatomatic - your guide to mosques & Islamic schools

★☆☆☆☆ Just cross this so called school of your list. Experience of the second year of opening was bad, really bad if you ask me, from the principle that thinks he has all the experience in the world and knows everything to unqualified teachers. I don't even know where to start. They don't even have website yet and use AOL email, which also raises privacy concerns. This is not their first school, this is the second one opened, the other one is in NY somewhere. I am really surprised of the 5 star reviews so far as I am guessing they never had experience with other Islamic schools, or guessing they are close to the schools management. From over night changes, to not having drinking water in the school (the beginning almost 2 months of the year and after complaints they got dispenser), to finding kindergarten student outside alone with out knowing how or when he went out (which I believe the parents pulled the kid out from this school after that incident), to not ordering lunch without notifying parents that there will be no lunch to serve, to over 3 months late uniform delivery (which the uniforms were decided mandatory after school started which roughly added average of $300 to $400 to cost depending how many sets bought, if you are good with 2 sets, it will be less) and many more. I am telling you its a zoo and a long away to become a real school, these are just the ones that came to my mind quickly. If the tuition was half of what it is, just maybe I would consider sending my child as a "day care", and that's a maybe. Inshallah they will learn and be better, but I don't have any hopes with current staff and especially decision makers. Although they are wrong they insist on it and try to make you seem wrong and don't know what you are talking about. They work in a way to get the parents and students to accommodate them and for their comfort, not for them to accommodate the parents and students needs. It actually reminds me of government public office workers that they are there to serve citizens with their tax money and making the citizens bend over backwards to take care of them instead of being the other way around. The parents have to work with their schedule and availability, for example, parents meeting between 3pm to 5pm. I haven't seen any public school nor private, that does the parents nights between 3 to 5, yet the principle tried to say all the schools do it at this hour. Its called parents night because its at night, its not parents afternoon :) Another quick example, with less than a week email notice, the schools schedule was change for Ramadan, and the last 2 and half weeks were made all half days from June 6th to 22nd. Fortunately for us we were going to over seas skipping the last 2 weeks but I know it caused big issues with other parents and would have for us too if we didn't leave. Plus you pay for a whole month and get less than half the service. Which again, I never saw any other Islamic schools do this, especially to this extend. I know certain schools have the last week half day but never more than that. I know one parent had a big issue with this Ramadan schedule change and talked to the principle which he got no answers for his questions and the reasons for this change ends up being selfish reasons. Like its going to be very hard for the teachers and him self, the principle. The parent said, he also asked about when was this change decided, who was involved and why wasn't this on the calendar of the school. The principle didn't really the questions and said pretty much this is a very common thing and routine that it doesn't need to be on the calendar. Which in my opinion is just plain ignorant. Principle also said to the parent that all other schools do this but the parent told me, he checked and called 10 other Islamic schools in NJ and none of them do such thing, and half of them hold the final exams in the first week of Ramadan and the schools close the 16th or 18th. Lastly the parent told in our chat together, the principle actually implied that, the parent questioning this change was ignorant of him on how things work in schools, told him to google it, and he has 18 years of experience. Which the parent feels the opposite, rightfully, in my opinion. One thing I do like is the they make students pray even the little ones and learn by hearing recitations. But definitely not the worth the head ache and trouble just for this purpose. My suggestion to you, pray for them to be better and speak out on their mistakes so maybe they will fix it, but don't send your kids there, at least for another 2 or 3 years, especially with this management. Posted on June 5, 2016