Update on Education within ISKCON

1. Update on Education within ISKCON Jaya Krsna das

2. Agenda • History on Education within ISKCON • The strategy of the Ministry of Educational Development • GBC Succession Committee on Leadership Training • Summary

3. A resume of Yadunandana dasa’s paper “ISKCON’s Education Pillar Of Success”

4. The Ministry Of Education- The first Minister • After 1971: first Gurukula in Dallas, Texas • In 1975 Srila Prabhupada asked Jagadisha Dasa to become the GBCMinister of Education. • The Ministry of Education started to oversee the schools around the world. Challenges: • lack of resources • unqualified people were frequently engaged as teachers • systematic education did not seem to be among priority for zonal acharyas • child abuse • In 1987 the members of the Ministry decided to submit their resignations.

5. ISKCON Board of Education (1988-1995) – A period of Survival • A higher education trend started to develop. • 1987 Vaishnava Institute for Higher Education (VIHE) • 1991 inauguration of Radhadesh Convention • In the early 90s the Vaishnava Training & Education (VTE)

6. Ministry Of Education– A short exciting Period • 1996 Harikesa Swami becoms the minister • Adult education became formally emphasized for the first time by the MED • The rationale behind this change was that first there was a need to train the teachers • The MED established an International Primary and Secondary Education Team (IPSET) to supervise and coordinate the training of primary and secondary education teachers • Foundation of the Rupanuga Vedic College 1996 • Foundation of the Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta 1996 • Foundation of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies in 1997

7. Ministry Of Educational Development – Focus on Adult Education • Sesa Prabhu becomes the minister • Mayapura Institute for Higher Education and Training (MIHET) in 2000 • Bhaktivedanta College for Religious Science (Budapest) in 2001 • Bhaktivedanta College (Radhadesh) in 2002

8. Résumé • First minister without resources, without power • The board of education – one meeting a year • Short exciting period • No funds, education based on local, individual initiatives, focus on adult education, future teachers • We still pay the bill – lost opportunities

9. Suggestions for Improvement • A most important prerequisite - Systematic education becomes a practical priority at all levels of leadership in ISKCON • An active educational development team should be established in every ISKCON project • Train teachers according to the needs and priorities: Only qualified teachers should be allowed to teach

10. Suggestions for Improvement • Educational needs of every ISKCON member should be taken into consideration in a yearly basis • ISKCON should establish minimum educational requirements to perform services of responsibility • The MED orchestrates the global educational strategy approved by the Euro GBC and GBC Body, coordinates cooperation among different initiatives, and ensure that standards of excellence are maintained in every project.

11. Ministry of Educational Development – Organisational Setup

12. Ministry of Educational Development – Target Groups • Educational institutions and teachers within ISKCON • All ISKCON members

13. Ministry of Educational Development – Planned Activities • Assess the needs, define strategy, encourage initiatives, make priorities • Empowering, linking, facilitating, networking, coordinating various educational projects within ISKCON • Advocates for educators, students, children • Subject area authority in education of the GBC (educational experts) • Defines standards, oversight, informs the authority to enforce if necessary - Accreditation • Principle: quality before quantity – applied in every consultation of a project – be aware of preventing overexpansion

14. Ministry of Educational Development – Short term goals • Open an office • Create a website with the relevant information on education for devotees and educators • Raise awareness and preaching about education among leaders • Present the understanding of the ministry on its role, its goals, how to realise them • Identify potential teachers and follow them up to get them a teaching position

15. GBC Succession Committee • Established 2006 in Prabhupadadesh • Insure the succession of actual leaders • Care about leadership training

16. GBC Succession Committee - Needs Analysis • Many GBC members and other leaders will need to be replaced within 10 to 20 years • There is a lack of qualified temple presidents (and leaders) in some regions • There is no systematic effort to find and develop devotees with high leadership potential

17. GBC Succession Committee - Defined Activities Action 1 (short term): Continuing education for current leaders - improving and increasing skills and getting ready for the next level of responsibility Action 2 (mid range): Train new leaders-Intensive class room and internship training Action 3 (long term): FormalAcademy of Leadershipfor training all future ISKCON leaders

18. SummarySrila Prabhupada on Education • “One must be educated. The education may be taken either in schools or privately but one must be educated. We want many preachers to broadcast this message of Krishna consciousness. Without education we cannot preach because a preacher has to meet many kinds of opposite elements.” (Letter to Lilasukha, December, 1967) (Bhaktivedanta 1992: 751).

19. Summary • “Uneducated people representing the organisation bring more uneducated people!” Yadunandana Dasa • “Perhaps one of the greatest mistakes made in ISKCON has been to separate education from missionary work and to create a false dichotomy among these two essential elements. Most of the influential traditions in the world, if not all, have consolidated and developed by establishing educational centres.” Yadunandana Dasa

20. Summary • Education “is the pillar of success” • Your support is needed: • To support educational efforts • To motivate, request devotees to educate themselves • To define a local educational development team and to support their efforts

21. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!