Australia’s first Sikh school greenlit after 12-yr-wait

Melbourne

: Nearly 12 years after it was conceptualised,

Australia

’s first Sikh school has finally been greenlit.

“Now that we have the permission, we will start planning for the construction, perhaps by the end of the year. The school will welcome children of all faiths. Sikh children will learn Kirtan and Gurbani, while

kids

from different religions will be engaged with other activities,” said co-founder of the Sikh Grammar School, Kuldeep Singh Chadha. After the nod from minister of planning and public spaces Rob Stokes earlier this month to build the school in Sydney, they now have to apply for a construction certificate. Once they get that, the civil works will begin — roads, digging land, levelling, etc. By 2024, they hope to have a partial opening.

Australia's first Sikh school has been greenlit, 12 years after being conceptualised

The idea took root when Chadha saw that kids coming to the weekly Sikhism classes at Glenwood Gurudwara, which he was then director of, for two to three years did not pick up much. “We needed more,” he said. “My friend's grandson had even forgotten his ‘Sat Sri Akal’ after starting childcare.”

Chadha brought together like-minded people to figure out what could be done. “We realised more time and commitment is needed to teach kids their mother tongue and about their culture. Parents don’t always have the time. Just as there are Christian, Jewish and Muslim schools in Australia, why can’t there be a Sikh school, where children can learn about the Sikh ethos while getting the best possible education?” asked Kanwarjeet Singh, a volunteer.

Now, the school will be built on 9 acres of land at Rouse Hill in Sydney, with its own childcare centre, hostel, Gurudwara Sahib with a langar hall, library, gym, tennis and basketball courts, cricket pitches and school buses.

For fundraising, Chadha and a few volunteers travelled across Australia and overseas, appealing to members of the Sikh community for donations. “When the idea was first conceived, many families pledged $25,000 AUD each. That certainly helped,” he said. The project — which will start with the construction of a temporary Gurdwara and four classrooms — will be built in nine stages at an estimated cost of $200 million AUD.

The next thing they are on the lookout for are community elders who can help. “We hoped to bring in senior citizens so that they could teach children ‘sewa’. But getting permission to do that has been nearly impossible,” Chadha said. “But we hope we will be able to work something out.”