The Australian Commonwealth Government is funding $250,000 of a new $300,000 Multi-Purpose Community School Hall for the Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula on ISKCON’s New Govardhana farm.

The move is part of the government’s Building Education Revolution (BER) project, which has been undertaken across Australia as an economic stimulus package.

“The hall is constructed primarily by expert devotees who are a part of our Hare Krishna community here and will be completed in a couple of months,” says school administrator Vinod Bihari Dasa. “ It will provide both the school and wider community with the facility to hold events and functions, as well as being an indoor sports/learning area.”

Established and registered in 1980, the Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula is located in the picturesque Tweed Valley near Murwillumbah, northern New South Wales and provides a natural and peaceful learning atmosphere, conducive to spiritual upliftment.

Although for some time in its history it was a residential-ashram type school, it’s now a primary school with day attendance only. Five teaching staff, all highly qualified professionals and all devotees, teach the forty boys and girls all the way from kindergarten to sixth class.

“The Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula is an accredited, yet independent, New South Wales school,” Vinod Bihari says. “Thus we receive further teaching, learning and curricular support from the government, as well as having the flexibility to achieve learning outcomes within a spiritual context.”

The Australian Commonwealth Government has been funding Gurukula education since 1983. But financial backing increased in 1992 through the efforts of then Principal Rukmavati Dasi, who conducted negotiations with government departments to create the current even more supportive environment.

For more information, please visit http://www.krishnaschool.org.

To see photos of the school and its activities, please click here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/krishnaschool/sets