Creative Education Centers (CEC)

The Foundation adopts a holistic approach to educating youth and children, integrating physical, cognitive, emotional, spiritual and social dimensions, with an emphasis on moral principles and virtues demonstrated in language and action. To serve this purpose the Foundation established 12 Education Centers in the Provinces of North Sumatra and West Sumatra in villages which lack basic educational facilities. 1 Education Center was established in the city of Medan in the Vicinity of the Training Center. This Education Center provides education for needy neighborhood children and acts as laboratory where the curriculum used in the villages is monitored.

Education Centers are located in villages in the following two Provinces:

1. Province of West Sumatra in Siberut Island of Mentawai:
District of North Siberut
o Mongan Poula village
o Sotboyak village,
o Simalegi village,
o Sirilogui village
o Labuhan Bajau village,
o Pokaivillage
o Cimpungan village

District South Siberut
o Sarausau village

2. Province of North Sumatra
District of Dairi
o Paninjoan village
o Juma Gunung, village
o Barisan Nainggolan village
o Berampu village

Stages in the establishment of an Education Center
When the Project first started, the vision and mission of the Foundation was conveyed to key people in the village : parents, local authorities, and the village head. They would then write a letter to the Foundation conveying their desire for a program of education in their village. This letter is signed by the representatives of the parents, local authorities, in some cases the religious heads.

In this letter of request the village conveys to the Foundation their contribution to the project. For example they might contribute land, a vacant house or a community center to serve as a school building, they may offer to provide living quarters for the teachers, they may offer manpower to repair the building or contribute wood for desks and benches.

The building for the Education Center which is initially provided by a village is usually not adequate to be used as a permanent school.. If the program proves to be successful in the village the Foundation may help the village build more permanent school.

Villages also send interested and potential youth to be trained in the Youth Empowerment Project as teachers in the Education Centers.

Villages are now realizing the importance of early childhood education and the Foundation is at present is receiving numerous requests from villages asking for Education Centers to be set up in their villages.

Photo Galery

The Aim of Education Centers:
The Education Center provides education for the following age groups :
1. Play group : 3 ? 4 years
2. Kindergarten : 5- 6 years
3. Elementary School (tutorials) : 7 -10 years
4. Junior youth : 11- 15 years

The curriculum, which combines the Government?s competency based curriculum with the Foundation?s holistic curriculum, has been designed to develop the child?s intellectual, creative, and analytical capacities. It focuses on developing in the child virtues such as honesty, trustworthiness, generosity, courtesy and uprightness, freedom from all kinds of prejudice, be they racial, religious or ethnic, hygiene and cleanliness and care for the environment. The vision of the Foundation is the creation of a service oriented generation of youth with capabilities to build their community.

Besides academic skills of reading, writing, arithmetic and language, through a variety of activities, the talents, creativity and capacities of the children are developed. Art and craft, drama, song, dance and cooperative games and other activities are all part of the learning process.

Children are taught basic English, an all time favorite subject.

Reading corners or mini libraries in each school provide children with useful activities where they otherwise would have no access to any kind of reading material. This broadens their knowledge, and reading skills etc.

Teachers have been trained to be change agents in society, thus raising the awareness of parents about the importance of training and educating children. Parents are made aware of the basics good nutrition and a balanced diet.

The Philosophy of Education adopted by the Foundation
The mission of the Foundation -- developing self sustaining communities founded on noble principles,-- was inspired by the Writings of Bah?'u'll?h and His exhortation to "Bend your minds and will to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth."

The philosophy of Education as adopted by the Foundation, is also based on the advice of Bah?'u'll?h to "regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value". Bah?'u'll?h goes on to explain that "Education can alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom". So the Foundation sees true education as the key to the betterment of the world.

Some of the gems that we possess are the virtues latent within us, such as love and kindness, justice, truthfulness, trustworthiness, integrity and sincerity. The capacitites of the human mind, its powers to discover the world of nature, to produce beautiful works of art, to express beautiful and noble thoughts are also gems latent in the human being. Without true education man would never be able to show forth all those treasures which God has conferred upon us.

A teacher who believes that her children possess these hidden gems will be eager to help her children discover their talents. She will converse with her children, listen to their opinions and help them to participate in class. She would try her best to develop the capacities God has bestowed upon them. She would not treat them as empty containers which have to be filled little by little with information which she forces them to remember. In this way education is a dynamic process in which the child is an active participant.