A PIONEERING educational resource centre has been unveiled to tackle the problem of academic underachievement in Hyndburn's Asian community.

The Itefaq Centre, in Fountain Street, Accrington, will provide homework support for students.

Advice about school issues such as absenteeism, truancy and religious education will also be on offer.

The centre will be run by newly-appointed bi-lingual community education access worker Mohammed Safraz.

It will also be used by Accrington and Rossendale College to teach English as a foreign language.

The building was officially opened by County Coun Tony Martin, chairman of the schools and general purposes sub-committee, and Hyndburn's mayor Coun Bernard Dawson.

The project is a joint venture between the Hyndburn Asian Community Forum and the county's Ethnic Minority Achievement Outreach Services. Coun Martin said: "This is a good example of how we can develop services and will be of great benefit to the local community.

"We hope to further develop the centre in the coming months to make it into a first class computer learning resource."

The centre will be open from Mondays to Thursdays between 10am and noon for advice surgeries.

Homework sessions at Itefaq will take place between 11am and 12.30pm on Saturdays for boys and at the same time on Sundays for girls.

Other classes will be held at the Islamic Centre, Portland Street, Accrington, between 4.30pm and 6pm on Wednesdays for boys and on Thursdays for girls.

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