And how many of us have longed to have lived in the lifetime of Bahá’u’lláh, to have come into His presence and to have brought Him tea or food? According to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, we still can:

"Today the training and education of the believers’ children is the pre-eminent goal of the chosen. It is the same as servitude to the Sacred Threshold and waiting upon the Blessed Beauty." ‘Abdu’l-Bahá B.E. (1987) p26

This is, perhaps, the most extraordinary idea of all! Though there is one more way in which the Writings explain the importance of educating our children:

"We prescribe unto all men that which will lead to the exaltation of the Word of God amongst His servants, and likewise, to the advancement of the world of being and the uplift of souls. To this end, the greatest means is education of the child. To this must each and all hold fast ... We ask of God that He will assist each and every one to obey this inescapable command ..."
Bahá’u’lláh B.E. (1987) p2

There is no escape. Here Bahá’u’lláh spells it out that every one of us, individually and collectively, is responsible for the education of children. That is how important it is!

Having established that, as Bahá’ís, we must devote a considerable proportion of our time, energy and resources to the education of the next generation, we must look to the question of its proper organisation. If we attempt an enterprise, especially one as grand as a national system of child and youth education, without effective organisation, it is as if we were trying to hold water in a colander instead of a saucepan. More aptly, we might say that it is as if we were planning an expedition to cross the Atlantic in a sailing ship, yet we have gathered no provisions for our voyage, we have no canvas for our sails, our crew have never been to sea before and our captain has no knowledge of how a ship works nor whether it is even seaworthy.

"The Sunday school for the children ... is indeed a blessed thing. You must certainly continue this organised activity without cessation, and attach importance to it ... If this activity is well organised, rest thou assured that it will yield great results. Firmness and steadfastness, however, are necessary, otherwise it will continue for some time, but later be gradually forgotten. Perseverance is an essential condition."
‘Abdu’l-Bahá B.E. (1987) p42

"If a plant is carefully nurtured by a gardener, it will become good, and produce better fruit. These children must be given a good training from their earliest childhood. They must be given a systematic training which will further their development from day to day, in order that they may receive greater insight, so that their spiritual receptivity be broadened." ‘
Abdu’l-Bahá B.E. (1987) p44

From these quotations of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, we can see that the concepts of organisation and systematisation are closely linked to child education, and that success is actually dependent upon them. Shoghi Effendi, not surprisingly, gives similar advice to Local Spiritual Assemblies:

"They must promote by every means in their power the material, as well as the spiritual, enlightenment of youth, the means for the education of children, institute, whenever possible, Bahá’í educational institutions, organise and supervise their work, and provide the best means for their progress and development."
Shoghi Effendi B.E. (1987) p48

Without organisation no collective enterprise can hope for success, development or longevity, for it means all of the following and more:
* prior thinking and consultation
* deciding what you want to do
* planning
* applying relevant and appropriate knowledge and skills from previous experience
* developing a structure or series of related structures
* developing a procedure or series of related procedures
* recruiting willing and able personnel
* training them adequately beforehand or during the task
* acquiring premises and resources
* securing funding
* ensuring adequate publicity
* securing understanding and support of target population
* monitoring progress, reviewing and evaluating it and adjusting the system and / or procedure to be more effective
Organisation requires forethought, vision, experience, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and perseverance. Educational systems are not for those who crave public adulation or instant gratification, for the consumers are unaware of what lies behind what you do, and the results are discernible in decades rather than days and in lifetimes rather than seasons.

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