When Masroor Sheikh considered moving to Melbourne's outer south-western suburbs, the Victorian government's plan to build a nearby primary school was a big selling point.
With children growing up quickly, access to education was at the front of Mr Sheikh's mind.
"At that point, [it was] very important because we were just getting our first son to start school," he said.
"Having that proximity is definitely key."
When the Sheikh family moved to Truganina in 2020, they saw an advertisement for a "potential government primary school" within walking distance of their house, as well as a "potential non-government school" nearby.
Three years later, plans for one of the schools have been abandoned.
It comes after the state government ditched plans to buy the 6.1-hectare parcel of land.
In a letter to the local Wyndham City Council, the education department confirmed it was no longer going ahead with plans to build a school on the site.
"On this basis, the department no longer intends to pursue the acquisition and development of government education provision on the Forsyth Creek Proposed P6 site," the department said in the letter, seen by the ABC.
Instead, the government has bought a larger piece of land just down the road that is 9.6 hectares.
The Truganina North Education Precinct is expected to open in 2024.
The precinct will cater for 2,200 students ranging from kindergarten to secondary school, along with the nearby senior campus of Truganina North Secondary School.
More schools needed to match population growth in fastest-growing area
Truganina is part of the City of Wyndham, which consulting firm KPMG has deemed the fastest-growing local government area in Australia.
Wyndham Councillor Josh Gilligan said the growing population needed schools to be built on both sites.
"We know the total number of places is simply not being met by the current demand," he said.
"For the state to then abandon a site that has been promised to this community shows the extraordinary situation we see ourselves in here today."
Councillor Gilligan said if Wyndham is to keep up with projected population growth by 2041, the area would need an additional16 schools beyond what has already been promised.
Analysis from the council shows the average school in Wyndham has 983 students, compared to about 554 across schools in Greater Melbourne.
Councillor Gilligan said too many school playgrounds were taken up with portable classrooms to cater for the growing number of students.
"Those portables are a screaming indictment on why the state must take a more holistic approach to making sure school sites like this one are delivered under future plans," he said.
Across Wyndham, 11 government schools have opened since 2019, including four this year.
Seven new schools are planned to open in Wyndham in 2024, including Truganina North Primary school and two campuses of Truganina North Secondary College.
"We're opening 100 new schools by 2026 – 21 new schools will open in Wyndham alone, the most of any LGA [local government area] in the nation," Minister for Education Natalie Hutchins said in a statement.
"We'll keep delivering the modern and cutting-edge educational infrastructure Victorian kids deserve, with 100 new schools to open by 2026 and another 14 set to open in 2024."
Councillor Gilligan said regardless of what happened to the site initially planned for a school, it should not be sold for housing.
"We have an abundance of housing and not enough services to deliver for our local communities," he said.
Calls for a dedicated Hindu school
The local Hindu community has written to the council and the state government, offering to work with them to build a Hindu school.
Bhakta Dasa, known in the Hindu community as the Minister of Religion, said the school would cater to the growing population.
"We haven't got a Hindu school in this region, and yet the Hindu population here in Wyndham is 50,000 and growing," he said.
Vikas Reddy lives in nearby Wyndham Vale and is about to become a father.
He said he would welcome a Hindu school for his future children.
"I definitely would love the next generation to have a Hindu school," Mr Reddy said.
He said a dedicated school could be a place that also teaches yoga, spirituality and cultural traditions.
Editor's note (21/04/2023): This story has been updated to reflect that both the Forsyth Creek Proposed P6 site and the site of the Truganina North Education Precinct had previously been listed as potential school sites. The site of the Truganina North Education Precinct was originally listed as a potential non-government school, the P6 site is no longer a potential school site.
