'Bhoomi Puja' performed for Britain's first Hindu school

LONDON: Amid beating of drums and chanting of vedic hymns, 'Bhoomi Puja' - the traditional foundation laying ceremony - of Britain's first-ever state-funded Hindu School was performed here 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 stablish 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.
    
Two more Hindu state schools, one in Leicester and one in Barnet, north London, could open in the next few years.
    
There are 6,850 faith schools in Britain - about a third of all state schools. The large majority are Christian, but there are 37 Jewish, seven Muslim and two Sikh and one each f Green Orthodox and Seventh Day Adventist schools. In total, these schools have 1.7 million pupils.
    
Pupils of Indian origin, who are mostly Hindu, have strong record of academic success in British schools. They pass 59 per cent of their GCSEs (equivalent to SSC) with grades A to C, compared with only 44 per cent among white pupils.
    
Naina Parmar, the head teacher of Krishna-Avanti, said there would be no religious studies lessons, but pupils would learn about "faith nurture".  Music, dance and drama lessons will include Indian instruments and styles.
    
"We are very conscious about the negative attention a state school can get. After 9/11, anything to do with religion or faith is a sensitive issue. It is our duty at the school to promote community cohesion," she said.
   
"We will ensure our pupils are equipped with life-long skills and attitudes essential to enable them to make outstanding contributions to all aspects of contemporary British society," she added.
    
With solar panels to generate electricity and grass on the roof to keep heat in the building, the school is also being hailed as one of the most environmentally friendly ever.
    
The idea of state-funded Hindu schools, including the one in Harrow, has been promoted by a charity called I-Foundation which wants similar schools in the London neighbourhood of Barnet and the city of Leicester.