The following are some
questions which school community and parent organizations may ask when
considering the adoption of a Buddhist program in their school. We are happy
to discuss these further or any other issues which may be of concern to you.
1. Are the teachers
qualified?
A certificate will be given
to people who have completed the training stating that:
-
They are volunteers, not teachers within the Education Department;
-
They have completed a training course of 15 hours that has been accredited
by DEET;
-
They have had a police check;
-
They are endorsed by a senior person from their spiritual community; and
-
They are working under the auspices of the Buddhist Council of Victoria Inc
2. Have you got the
approval of the Department of Education to run the course?
Yes. The World Conference
for Religion and Peace is the body which the Victorian Education Department
has authorized to facilitate the accreditation process for Buddhist religious
instructors in Victorian Schools.
3. Are you going to
covert our students into Buddhists? I am a bit concerned about that.
No, this is not an issue in
Buddhism.
The Buddha himself did not
teach ‘blind faith’ but that one should first try out the teachings and see if
one agreed with them or not. The same approach is taken in children’s classes.
There is no dogmatism.
Probably a number of
students will already be coming from Buddhist backgrounds so that issue will
not arise. Students attending the classes from other faith backgrounds will be
doing so with permission from their parents. The classes will be offered in a
way that presents information but does not proselytize.
4. Please let me know
the course contents, its structure and the mode of delivery.
The curriculum consists of
modules on the life of the Buddha and his foundation teachings, along with the
Jataka Tales - fable like stories with clear values.
Simple meditation
instructions at a level suitable for children will also be given. As well,
classes will learn about Buddhist festivals and cultural aspects.
The methodology will be in
keeping with contemporary educational thought and practice, involving the
children and encouraging co-operation and enjoyment in learning.
Copies of the course
content and structure will be made available to schools.
5. What level of
students are appropriate for the course? Prep, Year 1 or Year 6? Is it
suitable for primary school?
The course will be offered
to grades 1 – 6. Religious education is not offered to Prep students in most
schools. The course has been specifically designed to meet the needs of all
levels of primary students.
6. What sort of
resources and support do you expect the school management to provide?
We require:
a.
A suitable classroom, preferably with a carpet;
b.
The Classroom teacher to be present if that is possible;
c.
An appropriate time for the classes;
d.
Space in the newsletter to notify parents;
e.
Appropriate numbers – ideally 10 to 20 students, but this will be
negotiable;
f.
If possible, use of the school’s VCR;
7.
Can you send me more details about the course?
Yes we are happy to.
Information could also be
disseminated by community radio, school newsletters, including translations
into other languages, etc, with assistance from ethnic aides working in the
school, or parents.
8. Are you happy to give
a presentation to the School Council / Parents Teachers Association?
Yes, that can be arranged.
A representative from the
Buddhist Education project can address School Councils and parent meetings.
9. I am interested in
what you said but I don’t know how the students and their parents will
respond. It’s pretty hard for me to make a commitment now. Would it be a good
idea to do a trial run of one or two sessions to test the water?
Yes – delivery will be
flexible and we are very happy to consider a pilot program.
10. Will there be a
cost?
No. Buddhist religious
education is offered free of charge. There may be a small charge to cover
materials
11. How will this be
different from the Values Education component in our curriculum?
We foresee that the classes
would support any values education programme already running in the school.
It would also be an
affirmation of the backgrounds of students from Buddhist and Asian cultures,
especially in schools with high Buddhist populations. The classes would
promote universal values within a more specific context.
13. How will the course
benefit the school?
Buddhist classes have a lot
to offer the whole school community.
Most importantly it is a
good means for working towards the development of the whole child – spiritual,
as well as intellectual and physical.
In addition, Buddhist
classes will:
• Create an opportunity
to affirm students from different backgrounds, particularly Asian, by
teaching about their cultural heritage;
• Offer students new
skills and approaches to life;
• Compliment mainstream
curriculum by offering activities around Asian literature, history, art,
social customs, festivals etc;
• Emphasise peace,
harmony and tolerance and the means by which to practise these;
• Provide children with
the opportunity to meet visitors and teachers from different cultural and
religious backgrounds, e.g. monks and nuns from local Buddhist temples; the
popular Gyuto monks who work with music and sand mandalas and Buddhist lay
people from Asian and Australian backgrounds.
