Tzu Chi Academy Sunday Chinese School
Master Cheng Yen has instructed, “Education cannot wait” and that, “education needs to be firmly rooted.” With this in mind, members of Tzu Chi Brisbane founded the Tzu Chi Academy Brisbane Australia (The Academy) in 2000. The Academy provides ethnic Chinese expats opportunities to learn Traditional Chinese through Tzu Chi Humanistic Culture, planting the seeds of humanistic culture through the unique teachings of the Jing Si Aphorism. The Academy aims not only to nurture the sound character of its students, but to also purify hearts and harmonise the community.
There are more than 40 community language schools across Brisbane, providing Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino and Korean to name a few. Around ten Chinese language schools teach in Simplified Chinese, or both Simplified and Traditional in parallel. The Academy maintains Bopomofo (Zhuyin) and Traditional Chinese education, educating some 300 students across 20 classes from introductory Bopomofo to Year 10 levels since its establishment two decades ago.
Aside from the Chinese-language education, the half-hour Jing Si Aphorism teachings every week is a unique character of the Academy. Students understand the need of mutual respect and gratitude in
interpersonal interactions and the wisdom behind ‘happiness in helping’ and ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Educators in the Academy abide by the foundations of ‘gratitude, respect and love’ to realize Tzu Chi Humanistic Culture, instilling care, compassion, optimism and frankness into the characters of the students.
Other education services in Tzu Chi Brisbane cater for children from early childhood to adolescence. Pupils in their preschool years can attend the Chinese Pre-School Parent-Child Playgroup, developing hand-eye coordination through crafting and learning etiquette, love for animals and cherishing the resources of Earth through music and play. Annual events such as the Parent-Child Day and the Youth camp, for children aged 4 to 11 and teenagers aged 11 to 18 respectively, bring ‘contentment, gratitude, understanding and tolerance’ and ‘unity, harmony, mutual love and collaboration’ to life.