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KO HSUAN

a new way of education

Splinterd universe by Tarika
‘Among the British schools, the Ko Hsuan School wins the highest prizes for theatre, art and photography every year, and all the kids pass their examinations easily. But that’s not why I am so happy that my daughter is at this school. What touches me most is the very natural and open way the kids live with each other and their teachers. There is something in the joy and openness of the school that allows the kids to really be themselves - overflowing!’
Suvarna Schreutelkamp joined the school to live there with her daughter for a few weeks and she is very excited about this new kind of education. ’Teachers and children feel that they are all one family. The kids are proud of their school and like to talk about it. There is a humour and lightness between the kids that adults can learn from - and do!’
Tarangita Bosman, who joined Suvarna in England, totally agrees with this. Her son has just finished the school and is now starting the International School for Audio-Engineering at Amsterdam. ‘This Ko Hsuan school is proof that the mess between kids and teachers in other schools is not needed’, Tarangita says.
What makes this school so unique? We have a short interview with these two proud parents.

Ko Hsuan is a private school for kids from the age of 7 to 16. It grew out of the former Medina School in Suffolk. At the end of 1985 the premises that the former school occupied were sold, so it had to close. However, many parents, children and teachers wanted this facility to continue. Parents were reluctant to send their children back to the regular state school system and were very happy when a small group of adults began a new school called Ko Hsuan, following the advice of the Self-Realised Master Osho. The school soon became successful. Why?

five dimensions

Fish by Prem Bindu
The advice of Osho was to create five dimensions in education. The first is the informative dimension: languages, maths, geography, environmental studies etc. Here, teachers are important. The second dimension is the inquiry of scientific subjects. Very important according to Osho, because science ‘deals with half of reality, the outside reality.’ But here the teachers are only guides. They show how to find the latest books on a subject, how to use the computer. They make the pupils aware of the current knowledge, the latest information. The kids themselves have to do the real inquiry.
So far this educational system fits in with the regular school system. The three other dimensions are new. The third is ‘the art of living’. According to Osho this is missing in the present-day education. Osho: ‘People have taken it for granted that they know what love is. They don’t - and by the time they do, it is too late. Every child should be helped to transform his anger, hatred, jealousy etc. into love. An important part of the third dimension should also be a sense of humour. Our so-called education makes people sad and serious - and a man who forgets the language of laughter has forgotten much of life... A reverence for life should be the foundation of the third dimension, because life is God and there is no other God than life itself.‘
The fourth dimension is art and creativity: painting, music, craftsmanship, pottery, masonry - in fact anything that is creative. The fifth dimension is the ‘art of dying’. Osho: ‘In this fifth dimension will be all the meditations, so that you can know that there is no death, so that you can become aware of an internal life inside you.’

the art of living

What happens when this advice is followed? In the Ko Hsuan school you can see the results. By the time the students leave school they can expect to have trust in themselves and understand that their lives, actions and feelings are their own responsibility; that they have developed a sensitivity to others and their surroundings, and have a non-serious, zestful, fearless approach to life. In short, they are in contact with who they really are, and are able to stay in touch with this throughout their lives.
Suvarna and Tarangita have seen these kids. Asked for elements that help to work towards these qualities, Suvarna observes: ‘Ko Hsuan is very much a kids’ world. There is a great deal of space and freedom for the kids to relate freely to each other, which they do seven days a week from morning till night. Of course, this involves a great trust in the natural intelligence of the kids by the teachers. But the teachers give this trust. And so you can see that a healthy growth happens naturally when kids are given this freedom. My own experience is that the children take more responsibility during the lessons than here in Holland and work for their examinations whole-heartedly.’
‘Another element is the freedom of expression. This happens in a beautiful way. The teachers are mostly young, dynamic and very open-hearted and express what they feel. The children are allowed to express towards the teachers what they feel as well, they give positive or negative feedback.’ On this point Tarangita says: ‘The teachers are their friends with whom the kids can share all their emotional troubles. Children learn from the beginning that they don’t need to hold anything back and can say the truth to their teachers. They both can evaluate each other and do this in their sharings.’
And she adds: ‘You have to understand this well. It happens without judgement, because they know that nobody is inferior or superior. Nobody fails, nobody passes. It is just that a few people are speedy and a few are a bit lazy. So, there is no competition. One is just oneself, incomparable.’
Suvarna: ‘The focus is on the uniqueness of the individual child. Each individual comes with some gift, some treasure. An academic or artistic treasure, or a gift that cannot be measured: a loving heart, sensitivity, courage, vitality, understanding, being generous or meditative. All these qualities are valued as precious. This makes the school very rich.’

no don’ts

Unfinished Symphony by Ruho
Suvarna: ‘What surprises me too is that the children are governed by an inner discipline, by consciousness and not by conscience. How? All ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ are explained fully - and repeatedly! - so that the children’s developing discipline grows out of understanding and sensitivity, and not out of fear. There are no punishments. They learn the consequences of their actions from feedback from others. This may be in the form of reminders, explanations, anger or sadness, in fact whatever naturally arises.’
‘And there is no indoctrination. The children are encouraged to develop their own ideas and trust their own feelings, intuition, insight and perception. Rather than learning manners and politeness, they develop their sensitivity and perception. This is a beautiful way of living.’ Tarangita: ‘My son is now straight forward and intelligent. If I would have left him here in Holland, he may have become reactive like so many other adolescents. That is just a reaction against parental control. Now there is no need to do so. In Ko Hsuan he grew up and became an adult.’

Gopi ter Aerde
copyright Connection Magazine '97

For more information you are welcome to phone 020 - 662 5787 (Suvarna Schreutelkamp)
or 020 - 662 4364 (Tarangita Bosman)



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