PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, December 9, 2002: For Ramesh Chhagan, founder of the only Hindu school in South Africa at the mainly Indian township of Laudium here, three decades of community work has reaped a special award. “It left me with a warm feeling, as it was totally unexpected,” said Chhagan. Involved in education for 19 years before shifting full time to psychology, Chhagan was instrumental as chairman of Laudium Educators Organization in getting parents involved to ensure that the education of children did not suffer while teachers became militant in their opposition to education authorities and the government in the apartheid era. But his greatest role in the community was still to come when he spearheaded the development of the only Hindu school in South Africa as well as a number of projects in his 20 years as chairman of the Pretoria Hindu Organization, a position he still holds today. From small classes in temporary accommodation, the Pretoria Hindu School now runs grades 8 to 11 and will turn out its first students of grade 12, the final year of South African schooling, in 2003. “With the standard of education dropping rapidly in government schools, I was approached by a number of people who were concerned that if we did not do something, the next generation of children would lose out,” said Chhagan. “We managed to raise US$343,000 from the community for the school, which provides education with a Hindu ethos. Three Indian languages used by Hindus here — Tamil, Hindi and Gujarati — are offered as subjects, as is the basic philosophy of Hinduism.” Phase II, to start in 2003, will add a primary school to the existing high school.
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