Buddhist Education Foundation (UK)

A Brief Introduction to the Buddhist Education Foundation (UK):

On 6th of July, 1994, a piece of news in the Times reported the commitment of the British Government in the launching of their reformed religious education policy. It was formally announced that pupils from the age of five to sixteen in all government and private schools will have to study two religious subjects conducive to GCSE, one being Christianity (compulsory for all), and the other from a choice of five other major religions, namely Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Sikhism. The guidelines to religious textbooks and a summary of the teaching objectives, including that of Buddhism, were pronounced, and there was an appeal to all religious organizations to lend support to this new policy to make it a success.

The present Chairman and founder of the Foundation, Mr. T. T. Wong, and a group of his Buddhist friends in London were elated when they read about the news, as this unprecedented piece of legislation meant the possibility of introducing Buddhism to young pupils in a country of Christian faith. This was considered a rare opportunity in the propagation of the Buddha Dharma in the west.

The group of Buddhist devotees took to the cause of assisting the British Education Authorities in promoting Buddhist education with great enthusiasm. Mr. Wong even flew to Dallas to consult the most Venerable Master Chin Kung on this matter. With the Master’s expressed support and encouragement, the group began to ascertain which aspects of the issue most require their attention. It was discovered that teaching material was most urgently required.

In September 1995, Venerable Dr. Jing Yin came to London to pursue his doctorate degree in the SOAS. Having been informed on the matter, he proposed to form a committee with participation of all those dedicated to the cause. The first meeting was held in November1995, and the Foundation was unofficially inaugurated. It was officially incorporated a year later in November 1996, and fully registered as a charitable organization in December 1998.

Aims and Objectives of the Foundation are :
1. To promote Buddhist education in the U.K.
2. To assist schools and the Education Authorities in their choice of making Buddhism the optional subject of religious study.
3. To produce suitable textbooks on Buddhism.
4. To provide free distribution of textbooks and reference books on the subject.
5. To aid teachers in the teaching of Buddhism at various stages.

Since its establishment, the Foundation has been mainly involved in the production of textbooks on Buddhism for schools in the U.K