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Many Hindus see
upcoming faith school at
Harrow as problematic
WSN Network
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The Hindu school
is first to make vegetarianism a condition of entry. In
India, a large number of Hindus are non-vegetarians. The
school’s norms have raised the hackles of many Hindu groups
as mainstream Hindus are claiming the policy favours ISKCON
whose members follow strict vegetarian diets. |
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 London: Amid beating
of drums and chanting of vedic hymns, 'Bhoomi Puja' of Britain's
first-ever state-funded Hindu School was performed to mark the
beginning of its construction. Pupils at Krishna-Avanti Primary
School, which will open its doors to the first reception class in
September, will have dedicated Yoga and Sanskrit lessons and will
grow vegetables, in line with the strict vegetarian principles of
the school.
There had been no
Hindu state school until now because the community was not ready to
take on the responsibility, Nitesh Gor, chairman of governors of the
school told newsmen.
"It has taken the
Hindu community the last few decades to establish its roots in this
country. There has been no focus on education yet because the school
system is a strict statutory regime and only now are we coming up to
that level of expertise to say 'we can deliver this'," he said.
A traditional Hindu
temple will take pride of place in the courtyard of the new school
in Harrow, north London. It will have about 240 pupils, with an
admission policy giving priority to practising Hindus.
The school was
forced to abandon even stricter entry requirements which would have
required parents to be vegetarian, teetotaler and pray daily if they
wanted their children to win a place.
The admission policy
now has a list of nine criteria, the first six of which include
children from practising Hindu families and those from "Hindu
families who are broadly following the tenets of Hinduism."
The school is also
supported by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON),
and 10 places are reserved for children from a large temple, the
Bhaktivedanta Manor, that is run by the movement.
Hindu school is
first to make vegetarianism a condition of entry In India, a large
number of Hindus are non-vegetarians. The school’s norms have raised
the hackles of many Hindu groups as mainstream Hindus are claiming
the policy favours the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness (Iskcon) - also known as the Hare Krishna movement -
which is backing the school and whose members follow strict
vegetarian diets.
Nitesh Gor was earlier quoted as saying that he would “want to give
priority to those that are most active in their faith. The
definition we have arrived at includes regular home and temple
worship, as well as vegetarianism and avoiding alcohol."
Ten places at the new school will be reserved exclusively for
children of families at Bhaktivedanta Manor, the temple headquarters
of Iskcon in Letchmore Heath, Hertfordshire.
Jay Lakhani, director for education at the Hindu Council UK (HCUK),
claimed the school's admissions policy was unfair:
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Harrowing Times
Harrow Council backing has surprised many. Any new school,
particularly one likely to be very popular and hence to draw
children away from other local state schools, can have a
potentially destabilising effect on the local education
landscape.
There is already a surplus of more than 2,000 primary places
in the borough, a situation prompting the need to slim down
provision rather than open a new school.
In addition, Department for Education and Skills' rules for
the allocation of grants for new schools require that there
to be a "pressing need" for the investment.
To ease the knock-on effect on neighbouring primaries, the
new school will have to grow slowly, in the first year
taking only year-1 children, and increasing in size
thereafter by only one class a year, until it has children
up to the age of 11, and reaches its capacity of about 240
pupils. |
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11
June,
2008
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