Ever since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, the Gujarat Government is wasting no time to work in lines with the Union Government’s policies. The latest in pipeline is the introduction of yoga teachings in schools.
The idea comes after the United Nations (UN) declared June 21 as the “International Day of Yoga”. In fact, it was the proposal of PM Modi to the UN which was endorsed by more than 175 countries. Now, Gujarat is the first State which is considering introducing yoga teaching in the schools in the secondary classes.
Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said the State Government was actively considering the possibility of introducing yoga training in secondary shools, if possible as a compulsory subject, mainly for improving the health of the students.
Chudasama said that in most of the Government schools, presently, the students of Classes VI, VII and VIII are being provided training in some yoga ‘asanas’ during the prayer meetings. It takes just about 10 minutes to train the students, said the Minister, adding that the State Government is now considering the possibility of introducing it as a compulsory subject in higher classes to help students keep healthy and fit.
A senior official in the State Education Department pointed out that introducing yoga in the school curriculum would not only help improve the health of the students but would also help in the longer run as a vocational course for the students to secure jobs. According to him, the State Government might introduce yoga from the next academic year after the summer vacations around June 15 and the ‘International Day of Yoga’ falls a week after on June 21.