Why Hindu schools?
There are numerous voluntary-aided schools in the UK for each of the major world religions - except Hinduism. This has meant that, unlike parents of any other religion, Hindu parents did not have the choice to send their children to a Hindu state faith school. It seems only fair that parents of every faith should be given an equal opportunity with respect to the education of their children.
Is there a need for more schools?
There is certainly a need for Hindu schools. Hindu parents are telling us this all the time and it is reflected in the extent to which we are already massively over-subscribed in our Harrow school (5-6 applicants for every place this year). We are confident that our schools will raise educational standards. Our track-record proves it could be a model for faith education that would benefit everyone.
Who can/will be able to apply to I-Foundation schools?
We encourage applications from those of all faiths and none. Whilst in some of our schools a percentage of places will prioritise applicants of any of the traditions of Hinduism, as the number of Hindu places grows, we intend to reduce or remove this allocation entirely. For example, our second school in Leicester reduced this allocation to 50% and in our most recent bid for Redbridge, this allocation reduced to only 25%.
What about fees?
Our schools will all be in the state sector, which means that there are no school tuition fees.
Who is the faith partner and what is their role?
I-Foundation is working with ISKCON UK as the faith partner. The role of the faith advisor is to lead on faith nurture and provide advice on aspects of how the Hindu faith can be integrated and taught within our schools.
How will you ever raise the money for further schools in the economic crisis?
It is going to be tough but the Government and local authorities have a responsibility to treat all faiths equally and that is patently not the case with regard to Hindu schooling in this country at the moment. We will work with them therefore to find a way to make this work and it will need a partnership approach.
