FAQs
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Hindu Education and Cultural Center (HEACC) Limited is a “not for profit” organization and a company limited by guarantee and registered with Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). HEACC is also registered with Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and is GST registered and is entitled to issue tax invoices/ receipts. The founders and cofounders - who have steadfastly given their time over the last few years to bring the vision to this stage and contributed towards the first 10% deposit for the land, together form the first members of the organization and their names are being progressively listed on the website www.heacc.org.au The Board and Governing council will be initially formed from these members.
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The main objective of HEACC is to impart religious and cultural Education along with NSW School Curriculum to students. Once operational, this will likely be the first mainstream Hindu School in Australia.
It is proposed to be on a 5 acre level piece of land at 79, Saunders Road, Oakville NSW 2765 and within easy distance from Box Hill, Marsden Park, Rouse Hill, Schofields and Riverstone among other neighboring suburbs. The initial 10% deposit has been paid and the remaining to be raised by December 2023 for completing the registration.
We have received advice that the land is RU4 zoning under which a school including a shrine and cultural center can be established subject to council and other statutory approvals.
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It is our intent that HEACC will follow NSW syllabuses for its Curriculum as approved by NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). As a Hindu system of schooling, HEACC also offers Religious Education. Please visit the NESA Parent Guide for information on the NSW syllabuses. The curriculum in our schools will be organised into Key Learning Areas (KLAs). The standard KLA’s currently are: Mathematics; Science and Technology; English; HSIE; Languages; Personal Development Health and Physical Education; Creative Arts; Hindu Religious Education; VET (Yr 11 & 12).
At the heart of this project is the Independent School, which follows the NSW government curriculum and incorporates Hindu teachings, values and practices. Our goal is to provide an excellent education that fosters academic excellence, social responsibility, and spiritual awareness. We believe that by integrating the best of both worlds - the modern and the ancient - we can create a holistic learning environment that nurtures the mind, body, and soul.
The intent is to include early education (birth to 4yrs of age), primary education (Pre-Kindergarten to year 6) and higher education (Year 7 to Year 12) when we are fully operational at some point in the future.
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The simple answer is “NO”. This school will be open to all and students with any religious or cultural affiliations or no affiliations are welcome to apply to study. All prospective admissions will be subject to the HEACC admission policy and follow due process. This will be specified at a later date.
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“YES”, it is our intention to be affiliated to NSW department of education as an independent school by the NSW department of education after all the formalities for registering are complete.
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Independent schools in NSW are usually either non-religious or religious. This school will be the first Hindu Denomination School. It is our intention to implement the NSW Board of studies curriculum as mentioned above. There will be no difference between our school and any other independent school in the delivery of the prescribed NSW education curriculum. We aim to implement NSW curriculum and syllabus but the main difference lies in the delivery of the discretionary syllabus (estimated to be between 20 and 30%) where we plan to introduce the relevant languages and arts. Please contact the team if you require more details.
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We are committed to starting the school as soon as all necessary approvals are obtained. Assuming all goes to plan, we anticipate to commence early learning/ childcare (0-5yrs) by 2025-26 and Primary school by 2027-28.
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Our past interactions with the Government and other relevant agencies has yielded the strong advice that we have to show some tangible asset to be taken seriously as partners in this critically important area. Buying the land will signal our collective commitment and together we are confident that we can mobilize the additional resources to get the buildings up stage by stage to realize our collective dream of being the first independent Hindu school for all in Australia.
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As we need to settle the land purchase latest by December 2023, your contributions by then towards the purchase of this are highly appreciated.
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Your valuable contribution towards the purchase of the land is most appreciated and please refer to the categories below for more information. However, individuals cannot avail tax deduction for this contribution.
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A.) Patrons: We are currently inviting a limited number of individuals to become Patron Members of HEACC for life which involves a commitment of A$ 25,000 and its multiples with 50% payable immediately and the remainder on/before Diwali 2023 (November 12th). This level comes with lifetime membership of HEACC, voting rights, be part of the decision making process as determined by the HEACC governing council, a certificate/ plaque on the HEACC website and an appropriate display of name in the building and/or other avenues as determined by the HEACC Governing Council. Becoming a Patron is equivalent to contributing a 10SqM of land which will be digitally represented on the HEACC website. Contribution of each multiple of $25000 will entitle you to one HEACC PATRON membership. Patrons may also be able to nominate children for admission to the school for consideration by the admissions section of the Governing council.
B.)Ambassadors: We are currently inviting a limited number of individuals or families to become Ambassadors of HEACC for life, this involves a contribution of A$10,000 and its multiples with part payable immediately and the remainder on/before Diwali 2023 (November 12th). This level comes with a lifetime membership of HEACC, voting rights, be a part of the decision making process as determined by the HEACC governing council, a certificate/ plaque on the HEACC website and an appropriate display of name in a building and/or other avenues as determined by the HEACC Governing Council. Being an Ambassador is the equivalent of contributing 4SqM of land which will be digitally represented on the HEACC website. Contribution of each multiple of $10,000 will entitle you to one HEACC Ambassador membership.
C.) Associates: We are currently inviting a limited number of families to become part of the HEACC Bhoodhaan movement by becoming an Associate of HEACC for life which involves a contribution of A$ 3,000 (equivalent to contributing a square metre of land) and its multiples with a part payable immediately and the reminder by December 2023 or via instalments to be completed by end of 2023. By joining the Bhoodhaan movement and making your donation of as many square metres of land as possible means you will automatically become a part of the HEACC movement as its Associate on the database and your contributions would be appropriately acknowledged via an invoice and a certificate/ plaque on the HEACC website and in an appropriate place in the building and other avenues as determined by the HEACC Governing Council. The 5 Acres will be digitally divided into 1SqM blocks and will be named after your family that contributes towards this noble cause. Contribution of each multiple of $3000 will entitle you to one HEACC ASSOCIATE token.
D.) Champions: We currently inviting those who are able to make contributions of $1000 to $2999 and able to contribute in some other form via their time or expertise to become CHAMPIONS of HEACC for life. Please contact us via the website or email to learn more.
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Your contribution can be made by direct deposit into HEACC Bank account Number 23403282, BSB 122732, Bank of Queensland (Bella Vista Br) or clicking the “Contribute” button provided in the HEACC website to contribute via debit/ credit card. Your contribution can be ‘one-off’, or can be divided into ‘equal weekly/monthly instalments’ (through direct debit to account details or via credit card) but need to be completed by December 2023. Details on www.heacc.org.au
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At this stage there are no commitments from the Government to provide specific grants towards the procurement of land. However, we are in active discussion with several Government entities and are hopeful that they would pitch in with substantial support for this landmark project once we have procured the land. Additionally as soon as we are registered as Independent school under the NSW Government act then we will become eligible for per student funding which translate towards providing concessional fee structure for the students.
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As an independent school, there is no defined catchment area, however we expect families living within a reasonable travelling time from the school to prefer the services of this school. Depending on the need, HEACC will operate school buses for the comfort of the students from particular suburbs.
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The management may consider boarding facilities in case there is a significant demand. It is not planned at this stage of HEACC.
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The landmark development will be the first of its kind and we will strongly intend to develop other branches throughout Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle and regional NSW. In addition we have had contacts from groups in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane who would like to learn from our experience and start Hindu schools there as well.
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We intend that the school will have a Hindu Shrine with Hindu Deities where students will be able to offer prayers and seek blessings. Deities are also an important part of Vedic and other ancient scripture studies and research that students can undertake. We further intend for this shrine to be open to the general community to pray and seek blessings outside the regular school hours and also to be utilized by the school community to jointly celebrate festivals and other important events in the Hindu calendar.
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A cultural center is part of the intent of HEACC. Guidelines re its use will be developed by the board in due course.
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We intend to have a fully functional kitchen which will serve traditional Indian food in addition to contemporary offerings.
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We intend for the library to have two parts; one a traditional school library for all students to assist in their Pre-kindergarten to Yr 12 (HSC) academics and related subjects. We further intend for the other unique part to be on Hindu history, philosophy, schools of thought and everything Hindu from ancient to contemporary.
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We expect the fee structure to be similar to most independent schools. More details shall follow in the coming months. The board has not yet made a decision regarding the association between your contribution towards the land and future school fees for your children.
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Please keep checking our website for regular updates regarding opening of the expressions of interest. In addition, feel free to email your interest to heaccschool@gmail.com
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Yes, there are opportunities for corporate sponsorships. In case you or anyone you know may be interested, please reach out to heaccschool@gmail.com