Education in accordance with convictions - Lore Rammeloo

Giel aka Lobsang Nyima

The story of Giel

On 16 November 2013, Giel (a 15 year old Belgian boy) finally arrived in a Buddhist monastery in Shimla, in the North of India. His new name is Lobsang Nyima. Since he was 6, he wanted to become a Buddhist monk. The training takes 15 years.

The Juvenile Court of Ghent decided that Giel was allowed to start his Buddhist training, but the Court of Appeal of Ghent forbade Giel to leave Belgium. An investigation about the exact state and circumstances in which the minor lived, was required in order to make a right decision. One crucial topic of the appeal court's investigation was the topic ‘education’. Did Giel receive good education until today and is there a sufficient guarantee that he will receive good education in India?

Education in accordance with convictions

First of all, the principle of compulsory education is only applicable to children, because it is in the best interest of the child that children are not entitled to be denied education. However, in Belgium there is no compulsory attendance at school, just obligatory education. Giel's mother chose for home schooling, which is completely lawful.

In her program she gave special attention to Buddhism. Article 5(b) of the Convention against Discrimination in Education provides that ‘no person or group of persons should be compelled to receive religious instructions inconsistent with his or their conviction’. Article 24 of the Belgian constitution says that education is free. That’s the reason why there are catholic, Jewish or Steiner schools. Because there is a lack of Buddhist schools, the requesting party has to choose for private education or has to go abroad. The mom of Giel chose the first option, but now Giel himself wants to dive into the real Buddhist life.  

The quality of the education was a main factor for deciding whether the 15 year old boy is competent to make such a radical decision or not. It is obvious that the Court decided also to check out the level of education in the Jonang Takten Phuntsok Choelink-monastery in India. There is no reason for concern if the monastery supplies Giel with a good social environment and a open and reflective education helping him to realize his full potential. Another crucial point is the fact that Giel can leave the monastery whenever he wants to start another study. Hence, there is no difference with children following arduous ballet programs in Russia or children who are going to a cooking school.

In my point of view it’s necessary that a team of psychologists and youth workers are enabled to give their professional opinion. Giel is only 15 years old and the decision to leave for 15 years to follow such a specific education is a compelling decision and should not be made without proper reflection. It’s important that Giel can use his right to be educated in accordance with his conviction, but every state needs to create a framework in order to make sure that the rights of the child are respected but also that the child’s choice is the best for himself.