First Hindu faith school
First Hindu faith school
The first Hindu state school in Britain was opened in the London Borough of Harrow, where about 20% of the population is Hindu. Planning consent for the Krishna-Avanti Primary School was granted by the local authority in September 2007.
The voluntary aided school is run by the I-Foundation, a Hindu charity, in a joint venture with the International Society for Krishna Conciousness (ISKCON). It offers 240 places and cost in the region of £10 million. The group also wants to build a Hindu school in Leicester.
In 2007, faith schools accounted for a third of schools in England, including Jewish, Sikh, Muslim and Christian denominations. The local authority's approval for the new school follows the government's pledging of support for more religious schools where there is parental demand.
I-Foundation director Nitesh Gor said: "This is an incredibly exciting moment for the UK's Hindu community. It is the first time the choice of a faith-based education will be extended to Hindus alongside Christians, Muslims, Jews and Sikhs."
Ramesh Kallidai, secretary general of the Hindu Forum of Britain, said: "So far Hindu parents who wished to send their children to faith schools could not send them to a school of their own faith. For the first time, Hindus in UK will be able to exercise this choice, thus paving the way for equality. We believe that parental demand for Hindu schools is so great that we need more Hindu faith schools in other parts of the country to meet this demand."
The Harrow project was originally given the go-ahead in 2005 by the Department for Education and Skills and was broadly welcomed by the UK's 600,000-strong Hindu community.
The plans do however face opposition from some quarters. The Hindu Council UK says the admissions policy for the Krishna-Avanti Primary School is too strict and will effectively bar most Hindu children. For example, to gain admission children will have to be strict vegetarians and their families must worship at a temple.
The school has pledged to involve itself in inter-school activities, outreach and community work with local residents and children of all faiths and cultural background.