education

Education

At the heart of the SGI movement for peace is the ideal of education for global citizenship.

The Seri Soka kindergarten (Tadika Seri Soka) in Malaysia was established in 1994 based on the methods and principles of Soka Education first set out by Soka Gakkai founding president, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944). Makiguchi was an educator whose research into education was expressed in his book entitled The System of Value-Creating Pedagogy. Makiguchi defined the purpose of education as the happiness of children and the creation of value, for both personal development and social good.

Based on this, a humanistic form of education is taught to the children studying in the Tadika Seri Soka. The curriculum is secular and non-religious and conforms to the requirements of the Education Ministry of Malaysia. The children are taught not only the three languages of Malay, English and Chinese but also the importance of developing confidence, hope and friendship through active interaction with other children.

SGM members also believe that education is a lifelong pursuit of self-awareness and development of both wisdom and character. Education nurtures our ability to think critically, helps us make informed choices but most importantly, it enhances our appreciation of life in all its diversity.

Through a wide range of educational activities, SGM seeks to foster awareness of the social and environmental responsibilities we all share for the future of our country, and by extension, our precious planet Earth.

This is education in the broadest sense of the word, and it is not limited to the classroom or to any particular age group. Following the establishment of Wisma Kebudayaan SGM, SGM has organised a series of public lectures, conferences and discussion forums covering subjects such as Dialogue Among Civilisations, Muslim-Buddhist Dialogue and global ethics. Film shows on the world's major religions have also been screened, and more than 2000 people from different religious persuasions attended.

Based on the Buddhist concept of the unity of life and its environment, SGM has also organised and sponsored campaigns to educate people about the need to preserve, and sensibly co-exist with the Earth's biosphere.

Soka Gakkai's Affiliate Websites

Soka University
Soka University of America

Articles on Education

The Meaning of Happiness
Reading Opens a Treasure House of Life
Discovering Great Literature
Happiness as the Purpose of Education
The Great Joy of Reading
Learning to Love Learning