In the middle of the green zone, on the territory of Grihastha Park, is the Sri Mayapur International School ISKCON. The complex consists of brick buildings, paths and areas with trees. And those who live nearby often hear children playing, singing or practicing mridanga.
Sri Mayapur International School is one of the educational institutions of ISKCON. Children have been studying here since the opening, since 1988. Pupils from all over the world study together, receiving quality academic and spiritual education. The Sri Mayapur International School or the well-known SMIS(Sri Mayapur International School) is an inspiration for the ISKCON community and Vaisnavas. In practice, it shows the influence of spiritual principles on the quality of education and the lives of children and youth.
One graduate says: “The time spent at the SMIS was amazing! When I first came to Mayapur and went to the SMIS, I immediately noticed how different this school is from the western schools where I studied before. In the SMIS, both students and teachers have the same values, goals and lifestyle. I always felt harmony and peace. Everyone was happy, everyone was inspired, everyone was devotee. I received a fairly good material education from Cambridge and, if I wanted to, would go to any international university. In addition to the high standard of material education, we were given a very high level of spiritual education. "I was able to take the course of Bhakti Shastra and received a diploma in this course before graduating from the SMIS."
Many ISKCON devotees seek to give their children not only Krishna consciousness, but also a graduate academic education. Sri Mayapur International School is just such a place - it is a branch of the Cambridge International School, and all graduates of the school receive certified diplomas that allow, if desired, to continue their studies at the University. Therefore, students do not need to study outside the devotee community. On the contrary, they have the opportunity to live in Mayapur, to study at a school where both teachers and students are devotees, and Krishna is at the center of everything.
To complete the Cambridge curriculum, SMIS teachers often resort to Srila Prabhupada's books. Therefore, even the study of so-called material objects is connected with Krsna consciousness.
Over the past few years, students at the Sri Mayapur International School have taken part and won several national competitions, distributed books and have kirtans, organized festivals and other festivals, went to parikrama, and regularly performed services in the Temple. In addition, students are graduated with a diploma in Bhakti Sastram and comprehensive knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhajans of the Acharya Vaisnavas.
Currently, the Sri Mayapur International School has 169 students and 44 teachers. Srila Prabhupada's desire was to open schools and educate children in the spirit of Krishna Consciousness. This school is a successful example of following this instruction.
The school tries to create all the necessary conditions for sadhana so that all students attend morning programs in the Temple or school. The elementary classes are taught daily Srimad Bhagavatam and sastra. The school plans new curricula for a more in-depth study of the sastras. And, in 2017, SMIS made Sanskrit a compulsory language for all students.
“Therefore, the leadership of the Krishna Consciousness Movement should organize educational institutions for children, where they will be educated from the age of five. Children who have received such training will never be a burden on society and will not join the ranks of hippies. All of them will have the opportunity to become devotees of the Lord, which will undoubtedly change the world for the better. ”
Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam 4.12.23, Commentary