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South Africa: Maharishi Institute graduates 29
by Global Good News staff writer

Global Good News    Translate This Article
20 December 2013

The 29 students who graduated from Maharishi Institute in Johannesburg in December all came from South Africa's townships, and had finished a high school level of education, called 'matric'. Prospects for a college education for them were dim, as funding for scholarships was not readily available. Most came from impoverished family conditions, and for many of the families the new graduate was the first person to graduate from an institution of higher learning.

As about two per cent of South Africans have college degrees, even small graduating classes make a big difference for the nation.

Many graduates in this class of 2013 expressed appreciation for the positive influence of Consciousness-Based Education in their development, and the desire to attend further courses—including the Transcendental Meditation Teacher Training Course—in the technologies of consciousness brought to the world by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Consciousness-Based Education.

Two pioneers of Consciousness-Based Education in South Africa, Dr Taddy Blecher and Dr Richard Peycke, who started the Institute in 2007, created it 'from the ground up'. They feel the partnership established with Maharishi University of Management (MUM) in the USA, to offer its BA in Management degree at their facility in Johannesburg, South Africa, has now started to bear fruit with this first graduation.

Dr Peycke said this group of young people has achieved not only a high level of intellectual development, but also a spiritual maturity. The graduation took place at the time of the passing of South Africa's great leader and champion of peace, Nelson Mandela, and Dr Blecher commented that this was an historic time for the country, celebrating Mr Mandela's life while also celebrating the first Institute graduation, a milestone in fulfilling his goals for the nation.

Officiating at the graduation ceremony was Dr Craig Pearson, Executive Vice-President of Maharishi University of Management in the United States, whose entire career has been involved with Consciousness-Based Education. Although well aware of the capability of the Consciousness-Based Education curriculum, including the practice of Transcendental Meditation, to transform a person's life, he said in South Africa he saw first hand how dramatic the re-direction could be. He felt the graduating students displayed 'persistence, dedication, and a real commitment to Consciousness-Based Education'.

Dr Pearson commented that although he had followed the development of the Institute from its inception in 2007, to be in Johannesburg with students, faculty, and staff experiencing life there gave him a new and richer perspective.

Some graduates will join the Institute, taking administrative responsibilities.

Copyright © 2014 Global Good News Service



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