Daily Frameworks for 26 September 2025

Istiqlál, 01 Mashíyyat (Will), 182 B.E.

Social Action: Selected Themes Pertaining to Social and Economic Development

Quotes for Reflection:

And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is the promotion of education. Every child must be instructed in sciences as much as is necessary. If the parents are able to provide the expenses of this education, it is well, otherwise the community must provide the means for the teaching of that child. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ^{1 2}

Question for Consideration

How can the community provide the means for the teaching of a child whose parents are unable to cover the expenses for that education?

Perplexity Pro Response ³

The community can provide education for children whose parents cannot afford it through several coordinated efforts anchored in unity, consultation, and collective responsibility. This includes establishing local funds, organizing community schools, using voluntary contributions, and leveraging institutional processes to ensure every child’s right to education is upheld. [1]

Methods of Community Support

• Local Bahá’í institutions, such as Spiritual Assemblies, are tasked with creating educational facilities and resources for all children, supported by both local funds and voluntary contributions from community members. [1]
• The establishment of a “general storehouse,” as described by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, can fund public services like education via proceeds from tithes, taxes, voluntary offerings, and other communal resources. [1]
• Community consultation identifies local needs, mobilizes resources, and develops sustainable structures, such as grassroots schools or after-school programs, to provide instruction for children regardless of ability to pay. [1]
  

Practical Steps

• Members of the community may offer tutorial assistance, sponsor school fees, donate supplies, or support projects targeting children in need, conducted through existing Bahá’í administrative structures. [1]
• Where possible, Bahá’í-inspired organizations and development funds help supplement locally-available resources, increasing reach and sustainability of educational efforts. [1]
• The ongoing training of human resources in the community ensures capacity to teach, administer, and maintain these educational initiatives, with special attention to advancing the education of girls and those most marginalized. [1]
  

Guiding Principles

• All actions are shaped by consultation, justice, and mutual aid, recognizing access to knowledge as a right and community empowerment as the cornerstone of social progress. [1]
• The spirit of voluntary sharing and collective stewardship avoids paternalism and ensures assistance is rendered with dignity and unity. [1]
• These efforts begin small and build organically as the community grows in size and capacity, always focused on both the material and spiritual education of children to foster prosperity and coherence within society. [1]
  

In short, communities provide educational means through collective resource mobilization, voluntary sharing, establishment of funds, local institutional action, consideration of gender equity, and ongoing consultation, ensuring no child is left without the opportunity to learn. [1]

Follow-Up Questions Proposed by Perplexity

Here are follow-up questions to help community members explore ways to ensure all children have educational opportunities, regardless of their parents’ ability to pay:

Questions for Community Consultation

• What are the specific needs and challenges faced by children in our community regarding access to education, and how can we collectively address them? [1]
• What resources (financial, human, material) currently exist within our community that could be mobilized to support children’s education, and what additional resources might be needed? [1]
• In what ways can we create or strengthen partnerships, both within and outside the Bahá’í community, to support education for all children? [1]
  

Questions for Capacity and Initiative

• How can we increase the number of trained volunteers or teachers to offer classes and support children’s learning, especially for those whose families cannot pay? [1]
• What small-scale or grassroots initiatives (tutorial sessions, after-school programs, provision of school supplies) can be started or expanded within our means? [1]
• How can decision-making about educational support be truly collective, so the whole community feels responsible for every child’s learning? [1]
  

Questions About Sustainable Solutions

• What approaches can we adopt to ensure that our educational efforts are sustainable and not dependent solely on external or temporary funding? [1]
• How can we ensure dignity, empowerment, and voluntary participation in the assistance we provide to children and families in need? [1]
• What processes can be put into place to continually reflect, learn, and improve our collective efforts to support children’s education? [1]
  

These questions foster a spirit of consultation, shared responsibility, and organic growth, encouraging the community to explore practical, sustainable, and inclusive ways to provide education for all children, regardless of ability to pay. [1]

Citations

[1] Social Action-A Compilation Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice August 2020 – Bahá’í Reference Library

1. Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. “Social Action.” Bahá’í Reference Library, August 2020 https://www.bahai.org/r/595099593. ↩
2. ’Abdu’l-Bahá. Selections from the Writings of ʻAbduʼl-Bahá. Translated by Marzieh Gail. Reprint. Wilmette, Illinois: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1996, 304. https://www.bahai.org/r/743476304. ↩
3. Perplexity Pro. “The Promotion of Education.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. September 25, 2025. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/and-among-the-teachings-of-bah-IsZnW6BeTHOCxwYpZ0fRFA#0. ↩