The Sikh Grammar School, Australia
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| The first Indian school in Australia will be built on Tallawong Rd in Rouse Hill. Pictures: Justin Sanson |
May 3, 2016: THE first Sikh school in Australia will be built in Rouse Hill and construction is likely to start within three months.
Fundraising for the Sikh Grammar School Australia is in full swing with the developers collecting $3.6 million, which has paid for a 4ha lot on Tallawong Rd.
Initial plans, and if everything progresses smoothly, are for one main building to be completed in 2017 with the doors to open for primary children in 2018.
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| 12-year-old Harneet Singh at the site of the school. |
A Sikh temple and hostel are a part of the long term plans, according to Kuldeep Singh, spokesman for the committee behind the project.
Mr Singh said, while there are several language schools teaching Hindi and Punjabi etc in Australia, there is no dedicated Indian school in the country.
Mr Singh said they have big plans for the multicultural school which encompasses academic excellence, spirituality and physical strength, focusing on sporting achievements.
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| Two of the community members Bhupinder Singh and Kuldeep Singh. |
The Sikh Grammar School, which has been in the works for seven years, has had a DA passed but is waiting for Education Department approval.
“We did not name the school lightly but decided on ‘grammar’ because it’s of a higher standard,” Mr Singh said.
“We will start with primary but our overall plan is for classes from kindy to Year 12.
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| Bhupinder Singh, Harneet Singh 12, Jaspal Singh and Kuldeep Singh are delighted the first Indian school is being built in Rouse Hill. |
“We will have state of art technology for our multicultural school which is open to anyone.
“We will have classes in Punjabi language and other Indian languages with plans to also introduce international languages if there is a demand.”
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| Thanks to fundraising, the Sikhs have purchased a 4ha site in Rouse Hill. |
Mr Singh said it will be a community-owned school and interest is high.
He said $2.2 million was needed for the first building, with more than $700,000 collected.
Riverstone state Liberal MP Kevin Conolly launched a website and You Tube channel featuring the school.
Sikh Grammar School
What: The first Sikh school in Australia will be built at Rouse Hill
Where: 151-161 Tallawong Rd, Rouse Hill
Proposed date of opening: 2018
Details: sikhgrammar.com