Waitakere Hindi School opens its South Wing in Papatoetoe

Waitakere Hindi School in Henderson, West Auckland in a holy religious ceremony inaugurated the South Wing of the school at Papatoetoe High School on Sunday, May 19.

More than 200 members of the community gathered for the event including children, parents of students and teachers who hailed the new branch that will serve the Hindi language schooling needs of South Auckland.

“The movement to start teaching and spreading Hindi language started back in 2002, and we have seen steady but exponential growth in the demand for Hindi language- the mother tongue beloved and vital for the Kiwi-Indian and Fiji-Kiwi Indian community in New Zealand,” Saten Sharma, president of Waitakere Hindi School and the newly opened South Wing school told The Indian Weekender.

Teachers and associates who have been supporting Hindi language school excited about this new venture said that this would fill the void and need for Hindi language school for the residents in the South Auckland region.

Papatoetoe being an important suburb that has the Indian and Fiji Indian community living in and around the nearby suburbs, such as Otahuhu, Manukau, Manurewa, Takanini and beyond.

The school received $2500 a year and held ago, and this year it received $15000 from the Trust as funding for the school.

“The funding that we have received shows the credibility of the school and the impact it will have to our younger generation,” Mr Sharma said.

The Waitakere Hindi School -West Wing has approximately 120-150 students, and the curriculum that is designed by Pandit Anil Sharma is customized, keeping in mind that the children are mostly living in a Kiwi environment and schools. The curriculum includes Hindi literature, grammar and aspects surrounding the language, harmonium classes, yoga classes and music lessons.

“The principal of the school said they were looking for some organisation like the WHS to bring more diversity and get interested students to learn the Hindi language,” Mr Sharma added.

The syllabus or curriculum of the South Wing school will be a replica of the West Wing school, with nine teachers in the west school, the Papatoetoe branch will have four teachers initially and will increase the number with the growth of student numbers.

To enrol the students, parents can call Saten Sharma, email him and get contact details from the school’s Facebook pages. The classes have started at the Papatoetoe School from Sunday, May 17.