UK Iskcon to Open State-funded Hindu School

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London Post

A State-funded Hindu school in Britain

By Prasun Sonwalkar

 

"The organisation is associated with the International Society for

Krishna Consciousness, which operates a Hindu temple and a private

school in Hertfordshire."

 

Britain's first state-funded Hindu primary school is expected to open

in north-west London in 2008. The move has received support of its

local authority.

 

In early July, the London borough of Harrow backed a submission by

the I-Foundation, a not-for-profit Hindu organisation, to seek

government funding for the voluntary-aided school.

 

If the submission is successful, then the Department for Education

and Skills will help meet the capital costs of the project, with the

rest of the money coming from the local authority and the foundation.

A decision is expected by September.

 

A Harrow council spokeswoman told The Guardian that the new school is

likely to open in September 2008, following an extensive consultation

with residents.

 

It would be a one-form entry school, and admissions would be

staggered to minimise the impact on other schools in the area with a

large number of Hindu pupils. It will be eight years before the

school runs at full capacity.

 

The I-Foundation said it picked Harrow because the borough has the

highest concentration of Hindus in the country— almost 20 per cent of

the population. It said it had not ruled out setting up a Hindu

secondary school in the London borough.

 

The organisation is associated with the International Society for

Krishna Consciousness, which operates a Hindu temple and a private

school in Hertfordshire.

 

Harrow has 11 voluntary-aided faith schools, nine of which are

primaries—eight are Roman Catholic, two are Church of England and one

is Jewish. The council said they all make a `very positive

contribution' to education in the borough.

 

Another Hindu school is also likely to open in the neighbouring

borough of Brent.

 

The local authority has given its support `in principle' to an

application believed to have been made by the Akshar Education Trust,

which runs the private Swaminarayan school in Neasden.

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[Guest guest]

great!