The Hindu Boarding School is a school construction project near Jakarta that targets Hindu students in Indonesia between the ages of 11-17 years of age. As the Hindu community is a minority in Indonesia and is often discriminated, the boarding school will give Hindu students an opportunity towards educational advancement. Donors should care about this project, as education is a universal human right that should be given to all children, regardless of gender, background or religion.
Education plays a vital role in eliminating endemic poverty. In Indonesia, however, giving education to minority Hindu students has not been considered a priority. While Islamic boarding schools greatly help in increasing the morale of Indonesians with the current political changes, economic status, and social relationships, the rights of Hindu students to an education are not adequately recognized. The quality of education in Hindu schools is frequently neglected or below standard levels.
The Hindu boarding school can provide Hindu students an opportunity to not only obtain a genuine education, but also acquire learning on subjects such as Hindu philosophy, yoga, and meditation. It will also provide low-cost housing or dormitory living to students. As part of further learning, Hindu students must take part in religious and group studies. Along with academic subjects, vocational skills, character development, and a traditional Hindu education are included in the curriculum.
With regards to the long-term impact and sustainability, Hindu students will be able to compete for jobs and lift themselves and their families out of poverty with secondary education. By creating a new generation of educated Hindu students, they would be able to seek admittance in a university and later compete for critical jobs at the professional level. The starting number of boys and girls will be approximately 25 and will increase after the first year.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
