Most city schools, students skip Yoga Day programme

Published on:

22 Jun 2015, 12:00 am

PM Narendra Modi’s call to attend International Yoga Day voluntarily seemed to scale down the intensity for most of the city schools and their students. Attendance of students in schools which organised the 33-minute asanas and some stretching it to an hour was far less than the teachers and staff. Some of the schools remained closed as it was a Sunday.For instance in BSP High School, an aided minority school of Jharkhand Academic School (JAC) in Sector 2, Dhurwa merely 80 students out of the large student strength from class sixth to tenth reached the school by 6:30 am. When asked a lady teacher of the school said, “We had instructed all the students from class sixth to tenth to come and perform asanas from 6:30 to 7:30 am. Unfortunately, few students ensured their presence of which majority are girls. It is raining heavily today. It might be due to this reason that students hesitated to come.”

The girls probably enjoyed observing the day. Barkha Kumari, a class seventh student of the school said, “I am feeling good that I could participate on the important day marking the benefits of Yoga. Our teachers explained us the benefits of the traditional exercise form before starting the asanas.”

However, all the teachers and staffs of the schools were present here. Similarly, in Delhi Public School (DPS) Ranchi students residing near the school premises like Shyamali Colony, Doranda and Hinoo were present. “Many of our classmates did not come today since it was a Sunday and raining continuously. We stay nearby so it was not a problem for us to come to the school in the early hours,” said Ansh Kumar Singh, a student of class seventh of DPS.

Sources maintained it was mandatory for the teachers of the reputed school to come to the school. In St Michael’s School, where not all students were selected for this Yoga Day programme within the school, the administration accepted the low percentage of students. “As it was a Sunday we could not provide the school bus for the transportation of students so many students could not come,” said an employee of the school. In Sarala Birla Public School, about 3,000 children participated along with students. Taurian World School held the ‘Intra School Yoga Championship 2015’ on the occasion.

Notably, Human Resource Development (HRD) Secretary Aradhana Patnaik had earlier asked the District Superintendent of Education (DSE) of the 24 districts to encourage school administration of all the boards to mark Yoga Day for the secondary section students but make it a voluntarily effort on their part.

The impact of the order was seen in schools affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) as well as in JAC schools. St Xavier’s School, a prominent missionary school at Doranda under ICSE remained closed. When the gatekeeper of the school was asked he said, “I am unable to tell the reason.” Even the United Rajkiya Utkramit Ucch Vidyalaya in Hinoo and Kendriya Vidyalaya, Hinoo and, loyola Convent were closed.