Bahá'í Education
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In addition to the principles of race unity and the equality of the sexes, central to the Bahá'í Faith are the family and the education of children.
Bahá'ís are obligated to provide for the education of their children in the arts, sciences, humanities and religion. The Bahá'í Faith not only calls attention to the responsibility of parents to educate all their children, but also clearly specifies that "the training and culture of daughters is more necessary than that of sons, for girls will one day be mothers, and mothers are the first educators of the new generation. If it is not possible, therefore, for a family to educate all the children, preference is to be accorded to daughters since, through educated mothers, the benefits of knowledge can be most effectively and rapidly diffused throughout society."
Universal education is among the main principles of the Bahá'í Faith. Education, not just in the arts and sciences, but also in divine virtues, should be equally available to all mankind, regardless of social or economic status, nationality, race, gender or religious background. The following quotations from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892), the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, express this necessity in unequivocal terms:
"Man is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a proper education hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess. Through a word proceeding out of the mouth of God he was called into being; by one word more he was guided to recognize the Source of his education; by yet another word his station and destiny were safeguarded. The Great Being saith: Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom. . . ."
". . . Arts, crafts and sciences uplift the world of being, and are conducive to its exaltation. Knowledge is as wings to man's life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone. The knowledge of such sciences, however, should be acquired as can profit the peoples of the earth, and not those which begin with words and end with words. . . ."
"In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure for man, and a source of glory, of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto him. Happy the man that cleaveth unto it, and woe betide the heedless."
"Bend your minds and wills to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, that haply the dissensions that divide it may, through the power of the Most Great Name, be blotted out from its face, and all mankind become the upholders of one Order, and the inhabitants of one City. . . ."
'Abdu'l-Bahá (1844-1921), the son of Bahá'u'lláh and Exemplar of the Bahá'í Faith, expounded on this theme:
"The primary, the most urgent requirement is the promotion of education. It is inconceivable that any nation should achieve prosperity and success unless this paramount, this fundamental concern is carried forward. The principal reason for the decline and fall of peoples is ignorance. Today the mass of the people are uniformed even as to ordinary affairs, how much less do they grasp the core of the important problems and complex needs of the time."
"Observe carefully how education and the arts of civilization bring honour, prosperity, independence and freedom to a government and its people."
These are but a sprinkling of the myriad references to education, both material and spiritual, which can be found in the vast body of the Bahá'í Writings.
Some Bahá'í Institutes of Learning
- Bosch Bahá'í School Santa Cruz, CA
- The Wilmette Institute Wilmette, IL
- Louhelen Bahá'í School Davison, MI
- Bellemont Bahá'í School Flagstaff, AZ
Click here to link to the Bahá'í Education Web