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UK to get its first fully-state funded Hindu school
Published on Sun, Jun 08, 2008 at 14:04, Updated on Sun, Jun 08, 2008 at 15:54 in World section
Tags: Krishna Avanti Primary School, London , London
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London: Britain is all set to get its first fully state-funded Hindu school by September 2009.
The Krishna Avanti Primary School in Harrow in north-west London, will have Scripture Reading, Vedic Math, Sanskrit and Yoga as part of its curriculum.
On Saturday, a traditional bhumi pujan ceremony was held before starting the construction of the £13.5-million project.
“This gives Hindu parents a choice. Parents from other religions have a choice so it’s fair that the Hindu parents, too, have an option,” says Nitish Gor of I-Foundation, a Hindu charity closely associated with the Hare Krishna Movement, which will run the school.
The school, spread over five acres of land, will have a total capacity of 240 students. The first batch of 30 students will start their term in September. They will study the national curriculum, but Hindu ethos and philosophy will be included into all aspects of school life.
Excited local Hindus feel this new school is a significant step in “spreading Indian culture.”
“For me it is important that students eat only vegetarian food in the school and learn more about our culture. In a Western country, the child will interact with the locals anyway, so it’s important that he learns about our culture in someway or the other,” says a delighted parent, Usha.
Britain has over 6,500 faith schools, a large majority of which are Church of England and Roman Catholic schools. There are 37 Jewish, two Sikh and around nine Muslim schools.
The Krishna Avanti School will become the first state-funded Hindu faith school. However, not everyone is convinced with the idea of faith schools. In fact, some teacher unions in Britain say that faith schools divide rather than unite communities. But for the six lakh Hindus, this school means they now have a choice. In fact, there are now plans for a similar school in Leicester.
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This is very dangerous. If the parents want to teach Indian culture (there is no unique culture that identifies India.
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UK to get its first fully-state funded Hindu school.
Rich Indian culture, tradition, languages, yoga and Indian spirituality have seeds of
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