The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), a statutory regulator of Government of India celebrated the International Yoga Day at its headquarters, New Delhi and at its four regional centres at Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, and Jaipur. All officers and staff took part in the half day celebration, led by Namrata Raj from Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India. Various discourses and yoga mudras were practiced at the yoga camp.
In its regulations 2014 NCTE has already made yoga education compulsory for all its 15 teacher education programmes (pre-school education, primary and elementary, secondary education, art education, physical education), which will be studied by all 14 lakh trainee teachers and teacher educators studying in above 18,000 teacher education institutions.
This will be applicable from July 2015 session for which NCTE has already made grand preparations. It has already developed three modules on yoga education for DElEd, BEd and MEd students. These modules were released by minister for HRD, Smriti Irani at an all-India international yoga event at Talkatora Stadium. The modules are available in English and Hindi, and are being translated into various regional languages.
With making yoga education compulsory for all teachers and teacher educators, NCTE has taken the first step to have a country-wide implementation of ‘Health Body-Healthy Mind’ in the education system.