New Zealand missionary school uses Sanskrit to teach English better, adapts Gurukul system

Wellington / Mumbai, January 28 :  A situation which may glad Nationalist forces in India a bit & which endorses a Indian ‘school of thought’ that "the Sanskrit is the mother of all languages", has unfolded way far in south globe. A mainstream school in New Zealand is teaching Sanskrit to it pupils to build their foundation for the English language, news agencies reported today. Sanskrit is India’s ancient language, but ironically, India’s leftist dominatedEducation System totally ignores the treasure ofSanskrit.  The irony continues throughout the post-Independence era.
According to the media reports, Ficino School based in Auckland’s Mt Eden area (New Zealand) is the lone mainstream school which teaches the Sanskrit language. The school is thought to be strongly influenced by Indian cultural and philosophical thinking too.
The school principal, Peter Crompton, says, “It is my view, that the Sanskrit is the source language of Latin, Greek, German, French and of course English. Through teaching Sanskrit, we give our children access to the very essence of language: An insider’s guide to the workings of language.”

The School claims that learning Sanskrit accelerates a child's reading ability. Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed has applauded Ficino School for fostering universal virtues and encouraging Sanskrit studies. According to a Times of India report, Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, pointed out that Sanskrit should be restored to its rightful place. It needed to be brought to the mainstream and hidden scientific truths in ancient Sanskrit literature should be brought to light, he said. Rajan Zed strongly criticized India Government for not doing enough for Sanskrit language. He asked India Government to do much more for the development, propagation, encouragement and promotion of Sanskrit in India and the world, which was essential for the development of India and preservation of its cultural heritage. Sanskrit also provided the theoretical foundation of ancient sciences. Besides Hindu scriptures, a vast amount of Buddhist and Jain scriptures were also written in Sanskrit, which is known as "the language of the gods". According to tradition, self-born God created Sanskrit, which is everlasting and divine. The oldest scripture of mankind still in common use, Rig-Veda, was written in Sanskrit, Zed added. Mahatma Gandhi said, "Without the study of Sanskrit, one cannot become a true learned man." German philologist Max Muller added, "Sanskrit is the greatest language of the world."

“Sanskrit with its almost perfect grammatical system provides children with a roadmap for understanding English,” says Crompton. “We all agree that English is definitely not the easiest of languages to get to grips with. To learn English, grammar is extremely useful. It helps pupils write and read with increased precision and clarity. Certainly, this is something of use to students when they progress to secondary and tertiary study.”
Crompton adds, “Sanskrit not only gives young learners a clear understanding of the structure of language, it also heightens their awareness of the process of speech, creating a greater understanding of and ability to, enunciate words clearly.”
According to the Principal, ‘back to basics’ is not a new approach for Ficino. It is a practice they’ve followed since the school was founded in 1997 and is based on the curriculum developed by their sister school, the St James School in London.
“I am very proud of the success we’ve had with our own reading scheme. We’ve seen first-hand the value of teaching Sanskrit, coupled with the use of the St James Reading Scheme in their first 2-3 years has had on accelerating a child’s reading ability. By age 8, many of our students are reading between 2-4 years above their chronological age, demonstrating significant added value,” continues Crompton.
However, it’s not just the language that makes this school different. Taking a cue from India’s ancient Gurukul system, here, the teachers move up year by year with their class. The school website says, this helps support the child with a good balance of love and discipline. The long term relationship forms a close and caring bond between teacher and pupil is beneficial to learning.
As time goes by, families tend to find that the teacher becomes a steady professional friend of the family. It is also more efficient as teachers do not need to spend the first few months of the year familiarising themselves with the children’s abilities and needs.
Embracing the Indian cultural values, the school also offers meditation teachings to students. Short periods of quiet time are offered daily in which youngsters over the age of 10 may meditate, contemplate, pray or quietly reflect accordingly.
However, the school is not affiliated to a specific religion, though it enjoys the support of the local community parishand also holds services at St Barnabas Church.
“The Christian religion is given particular prominence because Christianity is recognised as the basis of the culture of the nation we find ourselves in,” admits the school.
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(You may visit :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/New-Zealand-school-teaches-Sanskrit-and-claims-it-helps-children-understand-English/articleshow/11665118.cms
http://in.news.yahoo.com/kiwi-school-teaches-sanskrit-and-mridangam.html
http://www.ficino.school.nz/  )