Baha'i Senior Secondary School, Saramsa
The Bahá'í Senior Secondary School is a Bahá'í-inspired senior secondary school located in Saramsa, Ranipul village, near Gangtok, East Sikkim. It was established in February 1985 by the National Spiritual Assembly of Sikkim, with the encouragement of Amatu'l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, among others.[1][2] The school is administered by the Regional Bahá’í Council of Sikkim state, and is affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).[3] Classes are taught in Hindi and Nepali; a science stream is available, with mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, English, and physical education as subjects. The school also provides classes for moral education and the empowerment of junior youth.[4]
History[edit]
The land on which the school is situated was initially purchased as temple land, i.e. for the construction of a Bahá’í House of Worship, at a time when Sikkim was a separate, sovereign state; in the early years, the school was thus sometimes known as "the Temple Land School".[2] After the merger of Sikkim into the Republic of India, the establishment of a school gained priority.[5] By the summer of 1977, a school building with three classrooms had been rented in Ranipul and freshly painted. Nursery classes began in February of the following year, with 45 students taught by three teachers.[6]
In the years to follow, arrangements were made for the establishment of more permanent quarters. Rúḥíyyih Khánum laid the foundation stone for the new quarters on October 16, 1984, during a visit to Sikkim.[5] The school was inaugurated by the National Spiritual Assembly of Sikkim on February 9, 1985,[2] and classes began on February 15, with 19 students joining at the nursery, lower kindergarten and upper kindergarten levels. The school employed one teacher upon opening, with an additional teacher joining by the end of the month.[1][5]
Although local inhabitants of Ranipul were initially enthusiastic about the establishment of a Bahá’í primary school in the area,[6] misunderstandings arose during the following years which led to some friction. These were resolved with time, and renewed cooperation eventually allowed the school to upgrade its standard. By 1997, the school accepted its first class at standard X, and the following year, it received CBSE approval.[5]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Baha'i News (1985). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 653, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 488. View as PDF.
- ↑ https://saras.cbse.gov.in/SARAS/AffiliatedList/AfflicationDetails/1820100
- ↑ "About Us". bahaischoolsaramsa.com. Bahai’s School Saramsa. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "At A Glance". bahaischoolsaramsa.com. Bahai’s School Saramsa. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Baha'i News (1977). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 556, Pg(s) 9. View as PDF.
