A representative of the Great Enlightenment Buddhist Institute Society says he is disappointed with the questions raised in P.E.I.’s legislature by the opposition Greens about a private school operated by the society.
In a statement sent to The Guardian, Geoffrey Yang, executive secretary of GEBIS said the Moonlight International Academy complies with rules set out for private schools in the Island’s Private Schools Act.
“We are disappointed that questions raised in the Legislative Assembly suggest that children under our care were ‘taken’ from families; rather, they were enrolled by their families,” Yang said in the statement.
“The history and legacy of Canada’s Indian Residential School is very troubling, so the effort of the Official Opposition to draw parallels between the Moonlight International Academy and Indian Residential Schools is very concerning to us and potentially damaging to our reputation in the community.”
On Wednesday, Green opposition leader Peter Bevan-Baker and house leader Hannah Bell used the occasion of International Day of the Child to raise questions about the Moonlight Academy, a private school operated by the Buddhist society. The Greens asked several questions related to the rights of children attending the school, including whether children were aware of their rights, whether they had access to visits with their parents and what happens if they decided not to be a Monk.
"How is government fulfilling its duty to protect children, as defined by the UN Conventions on the Rights of a Child, in private, residential-type school settings like the Moonlight International Academy?” Bevan-Baker asked on Wednesday.
In an interview after the comments, Bevan-Baker said he had not heard of specific instances of ill treatment of children at the academy, but said there were “specific things about that school which increase the vulnerability of the children.”
In response to the questions, the province’s Minister of Social Development and Housing Ernie Hudson said the children attending the school were covered by the province’s Child Protection Act.
"All persons on Prince Edward Island, including teachers and staff at any school on the Island, family members, MLAs are obligated to report child abuse to authorities or to child and protection services," Hudson said.
"Children and parents of children at the Moonlight Academy are aware of their rights and have regular communication with their parents."
A separate statement was distributed by GEBIS to MLA’s on Thursday, responding to some of the questions.
In an interview on Thursday, Yang said the school has worked with officials from the Department of Education and Early Learning for years and has also worked closely with Child Protection Services.
“I understand that the Green party has chosen to use [us] as an example," Yang said, adding that the International Day of the Children is supposed to be a “celebratory” event.
“All we can say is that nothing has happened. If there is anything in the future, unfortunately, [that] does happen, then we do have the protocol set in place."
Yang said concern for the welfare of children was a value that he shared. He said GEBIS has worked hard to integrate but is sometimes viewed, after ten years, as being “from away.”
"It's human nature, you know. We look different," Yang said.
"I think it's homework. It's homework for everyone. It's both sides. Our goal is to bridge together and to make sure everybody understands each other and has a better impression of each other."
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