The Hindu Forum of Britain, in partnership with the London Borough of Harrow, is launching the country’s first national Religious Education toolkit for teaching Hinduism in schools on 6th April 2006. The pilot project, which will initially see 72 schools of Harrow being presented official RE toolkits, will be expanded to include at least ten other Boroughs by the end of the year.
The RE toolkit entitled the Heart of Hinduism is a multi-media resource pack for teachers and students of RE to enable better understanding of Hinduism through GCSE-aligned books, posters, audio CDs, CD ROMs, websites and teacher training guides. The toolkit has been produced after considerable research and consultation with different sections and branches of the Hindu community in the UK. The national launch at Harrow will include demonstrations from the ISKCON Educational Services to an audience of RE teachers and students and an official endorsement of the toolkit by the Harrow SACRE.
Councillor Sanjay Dighe, Deputy Leader of Harrow Council, said: “Harrow has the highest percentage of Hindu residents in the country I am therefore very pleased that we are the first authority to roll out RE toolkits for teaching Hinduism to all our schools. This pack will help ensure that Hinduism is properly understood by our children. I would like to thank our partners at the Harrow Advisory Council on Religious Education, the Hindu Forum of Britain, ISKCON Educational Services for facilitating this important launch."
“The RE toolkits adopted by the Hindu Forum of Britain are educational resources that explain the Hindu tradition in clear terms. They are produced by practitioners of the tradition and is meant for all who wish to broaden their knowledge of Hindu traditions,” explained Ramesh Kallidai, secretary general of the Hindu Forum of Britain. “The roll-out of the RE toolkits to schools across the country will ensure that Hindu traditions and beliefs are taught to children in an accurate and thought-provoking way. In particular, it will highlight the way in which the religion is practised in Britain.”
Pat Stevens, chair of Harrow Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education, said: “This is an extremely valuable resource and SACRE is delighted that it will soon be available for use of schools in the borough. Its interactive and lively ideas will enrich the teaching of Religious Education and go a long way to helping promote an understanding of the beliefs and traditions of Hinduism among the young people of Harrow.”