"31% of working-age Muslims have no qualifications"
"Muslims are least likely to have degrees"
                                                                        Office for National Statistics, 2003-2004

Unfortunately the statistics clearly illustrate that Muslims are severely underperforming compared to their counterparts and that we urgently need to devise strategies to reverse the trend. There are a number of reasons for this underachievement, and a number of ways we can work to improve the situation. Supplementary schools which provide an extra source of teaching and support play a role as does recruiting more Muslim governors who are able to represent Muslim children and the important issues they face at a policy-making level, and this is one of the aims of AMG.

Through the Association, we hope that we will be able to forge a solid relationship between schools and the Muslim community. Muslim governors would serve as a voice for the Muslim community, and highlight issues which are particularly important and affect Muslim children directly. This could include topics such as the provision of halal food during school lunches, school uniform suitable to the Islamic dress-code, the importance of prayer times and many other issues. Helping to provide a more comfortable environment for Muslim students will certainly pave the way for them to achieve better results at school.

Disagreements on issues such as these have caused many Muslim parents to despair in the state education system and to find alternatives for their children; but how can we expect the wider community to fully understand the importance of, for example, hijab in the Islamic tradition, without Muslim participation on governing bodies to explain these topics? This is the education system that 97% of Muslim children will spend their formative years in, and it is our responsibility as a Muslim community to be involved.

In order to be heard, and to make a difference, Muslims need to take an active role in society, otherwise we will forever feel marginalised. The statistics show us that the young Muslim community is 1/3 of the entire UK Muslim population, and is growing. We need to act now to make a positive difference to their future - to make our youngsters grow into mature, well-educated Muslim adults who are able to fulfil their immense potential, and to truly feel like an integral part of the society that they have grown up in.

Although the organisation is in its infancy, we have been fortunate to receive support from numerous organisations and patrons, including MP Stephen Timms, Chief Secretary to the Treasury. We are working in close conjunction with the DfES, School Governors' One-Stop Shop and local councils to help recruit Muslim governors.

We all know that parents play a huge, if not the most significant role in a child's education, and The Association of Muslim Governors hopes to be able to encourage and promote more parental involvement in school issues. AMG will serve as a forum for discussion between governors, and can provide governing bodies with a point of contact for issues and questions relating to Muslim students. The role of the governing body within a school and local community should not be underestimated, and the good work that existing bodies do to represent their students cannot be ignored. However, decisions regarding school policy should be made with sound knowledge of the requirements of all their students, and Muslim governors and AMG can provide the Muslim point of view and take an active part in the decision-making process.

Faith adds a wonderful dimension to our multi-cultural personality which should be nurtured and allowed to flourish - not only in Muslim children, but in children of all faiths. AMG will support Muslim children through their education and provide them with the means to uphold their religious beliefs and characteristics. In doing so, we can promote tolerance and understanding within the multi-cultural society that we are all a part of.

The Association of Muslim Governors adamantly believes, that in strong partnership with the community, we can achieve our goals whilst maintaining our religious identity, and so our main purpose is to ensure that Muslim children are allowed to maintain theirs in our state-run education system.

Why not become a Governor and join us in raising the educational achievements of future generations?