On 15th November, Avanti Trust inaugurated Avanti School at a permanent location in Stanmore in the honorary presence of Secretary of state for education, Damian Hinds, conservative MP, Bob Blackman and the mayor of Harrow, Kareema Marikar among others.
Avanti School is a faith-based school that teaches not just Hindu religion but also educates the students about other religious texts along with following the GCSE curriculum. This faith-based school in an attempt for an establishment of an integrated society teaches students from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Faith schools important for rich diversity - Secretary of State for Education.
Damian who congratulated the Avanti Schools Trust for their initiative in education said how British organisations have been involved for far longer in the education society than the state's participation. It is quite unusual in countries to have fully funded faith-based schools. But Damian said-
“I see faith schools as really important part of our rich diversity in our education system and they provide choice to our parents and the faith designation can be an important part of its ethos so, I think that is true here and it is welcoming people of different backgrounds or people who have no faith at all! And I don't think it should lead to isolation of any particular community in any way.”
But does establishment of faith-schools really promote an integrated society? In December 2017, Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of schools in England, said private faith schools run by religious conservatives were “deliberately resisting” British values and equalities law. But she also clarified that this isn't a criticism against faith schools.
While imparting religious education may promote a diverse and a multi-cultural environment, not all parents believe that it should be the only initiative.
*Pooja Patel, a naturalised British mother from Kenya, talks about how the schools should take an initiative in teaching about colonial history and imperialism for the students to understand the historical backgrounds of who some of the “natives call outsiders”.
“It is unfortunate that these schools don't teach about British history in that light and this leads to bullying in classes and racism in some cases.” she said
However, Mr Hinds clarified, “We don't specify in the national curriculum of the schools about particular periods. The only thing that we have specified for them to teach is the Holocaust but beyond that there are different examination boards and the curriculum may or would include some of the elements of the world history!”
Avanti has also just opened a Secondary School in Leicester. Avanti Fields, Leicester is the first hindu-state-funded secondary school outside of London in the UK and has received great support from the local community.
