Rabbani Bahá’í School
Rabbani Bahá’í School was a Bahá’í higher secondary school based in the village of Susera, near Gwalior, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Aimed primarily at village boys in the Gwalior area, where continuous teaching efforts had resulted in a large Bahá’í population, it was established in 1977, graduating its first standard XI class in 1983.[1][2]
Mission[edit]
Rabbani School chiefly aimed to provide education and training for rural boys in Gwalior, where continuous teaching efforts had resulted in a large Bahá’í population. As a Bahá’í school, Rabbani School combined academic learning and the development of practical skills with moral education and building capacity for service to the community.
In partnership with nearby villages, students and staff of the school helped to initiate a variety of social and economic development projects, including: The establishment of village primary schools; literacy programmes; community health initiatives; commercial forestry; and reforestation efforts where tens of thousands of trees were planted around the school's campus and in neighboring villages.[2][3][4]
The school also played a significant role in the consolidation of nascent Bahá’í communities in the wake of mass teaching efforts that saw the local Bahá’í population increase dramatically. In articulating the school's purpose, the Universal House of Justice stated that "the primary purpose for establishing the Rabbani School, beyond offering needed services to many Bahá’í families, is to assist the teaching and consolidation work in India through training potential village teachers".[1]
History[edit]
Property for the school was acquired in autumn of 1962 for use as a teaching institute, being later converted into a boarding hostel solely for Indian children; finally, in 1977, it was converted into the Rabbani School.
The school evolved for decades under the guidance of Bahá’í institutions, including the Universal House of Justice and the National Spiritual Assembly of India.
The school graduated its first standard XI class in 1983, with students already excelling in provincial examinations.[1]
Facilities[edit]
The campus of Rabbani School was located on a 72-acre farm.[2]
Student life[edit]
Students, generally boys from poor Bahá’í families in local villages, would live at the school for six years in a Bahá’í environment, with strong emphasis on devotional life, following the observances of the Bahá’í calendar such as holy days and the Nineteen Day Feast.[1] Equally strong emphasis was placed on agriculture, with students growing some of their own food and developing other skills, such as poultry and dairy farming.[2]
Traditional barriers of caste, otherwise a significant part of social life in Indian society, were removed by ensuring that high- and low-caste students were fully integrated in campus life, and by the school's focus on moral education and the equality of all people.[5]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bahá'í World, Volume 18, pp. 233–38.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India, 2003. Rabbani School.
- ↑ Bahá'í International Community. The Bahá'ís.
- ↑ https://iefworld.org/bicsarc.htm
- ↑ Bahá’í International Community, July-October 2001. Around the world, Baha'i communities promote tolerance and racial harmony. One Country, Volume 13, Issue 2.
