| |
|
| |
NEWS &
EVENTS |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
FEATURES |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BRITAIN’S
FIRST STATE-FUNDED HINDU SCHOOL |
| |
LONDON: A
team of experts is currently working on weaving Hindu
religious elements into the government-prescribed
national curriculum that will be taught in Britain’s
first state-funded Hindu faith school.
The school, named the “Krishna Avanti Primary School” in
the borough of Harrow, is scheduled to welcome its first
intake of students from September 2008. A “register of
interest” has been launched for parents of prospective
pupils.
According to Nitesh Gor, director of I-Foundation, all
major Hindu groups in Britain have expressed support to
the school, including the Hindu Forum of Britain, Vishwa
Hindu Parishad, the Chinmaya Group and the Hindu
Council.
The Department of Education and Skills had announced the
Hindu faith school in November 2005 and had earmarked 10
million pounds for the project. “The primary school aims
to give Hindu parents a choice of school that is
consistent with their faith. At present, Voluntary Aided
schools exist for every other major religion in the UK
and it is right that the Hindu community is not denied
this option in the education of their children,” Gor
told newspersons.
The school will be located in the borough of Harrow,
which has the largest population of Hindus in any
borough in Britain (40,000; 20 per cent of the
population). Its design is intended to have minimal
impact on the environment.
Gor said: “It will have a strong environment aspect,
including teaching outdoors, in accordance with
traditional Hindu ways of teaching and learning. The
requirements will also meet the norms of the Department
of Education and Skills.”
Gor added that the I-Foundation was an independent
charity organisation and will be advised on the faith
aspects of the school by a range of Hindu and non-Hindu
organisations, including the Chinmaya Group,
Swaminarayan, ISKCON, the Church of England and Board of
Deputies of British Jews.
However, ultimately decisions will be taken by its own
independent board of governors. He said teachers for the
school would be recruited from within the Hindu
community in Britain.
As a charity organisation, I-Foundation”s aim is to
“establish sustainable projects that further the
advancement of Vedic culture and philosophy”. Its board
of directors include Gor, Pradip Gajjar, Shailesh
Govindia, Paul Murphy and Prashun Popat.
The I-Foundation”s advisory panel include Anil Agarwal
(chairman, Vedanta Resources), Geoffrey Allen
(academic), Rasamandala Das (education consultant),
Shaunaka Rish Das (director, Oxford Centre of Hindu
Studies), Krishna Ghosh (teacher), Idris Mears (director
of Association of Muslim Schools UK), Bhakti Charu
Swami, Radhanath Swami, Sivarama Swami, Sandra Teacher
(education officer of the Board of Deputies of British
Jews) and Reverend David Whittongton (national school
development officer of the Church of England).
(The writer is a UK-based journalist)
|
|
|
This page
is updated on Sep 18, 2009 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
10 YEARS CELEBRATION
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
