NEW DELHI: A week after Delhi education minister Ashish Sood announced that policies implemented by the previous government will not be continued, most government schools in the city have reportedly dropped the ‘Happiness’ and ‘Deshbakshti’ curricula and ‘Desh ka Mentor’ and ‘Buniyaad’ programmes, meant for the EWS (economically weaker section) students, from timetables.
In a virtual meeting chaired by the Regional Director and Deputy Director of the Delhi education department with all heads of city government schools on April 2, school authorities were asked to discontinue all these schemes.
School principals were verbally told to focus on subject education instead of the extra curricula introduced by the AAP government in the past decade, sources privy to the development said.
Heads of schools were also asked to give confidential feedback on the mentorship course. The ‘Desh ka Mentor’ programme launched in 2021 aimed to connect three lakh mentors from across the country with 10 lakh Delhi government school students, in a 10-minute weekly career guidance session.
Similarly, the ‘Happiness’ curriculum launched in 2018 sought to promote meditation and mental exercises besides lessons in moral values among students. According to former education minister Manish Sisodia, this initiative was an answer to the ever-growing concern around ‘happiness’, stress and anxiety among youth, and aimed to ensure ‘Good mental health, character and resilience’.
On condition of anonymity, a government school principal said, “We have been told to focus on subjects instead of wasting time on these additional curricula, which acted as a burden on teachers. It was a torture for a Maths teacher to take Happiness lectures. The Happiness curriculum, Desh Bhakti programme were part of the daily time table. At least two or three periods were dedicated to them.”
Another government school principal said, “There was no additional faculty to handle these extra classes. The government used to send some funds; around `10,000-15,000 to hold activities, make posters and banners or to provide refreshments to students. Most schools have already dropped these curricula from their time tables. We are yet to receive any official orders on this but we have been told not to continue with it.”
Earlier, the Government School Teachers Association in a meeting with the Chief Minister had also urged discontinuation of such additional courses.
Announcing the discontinuation of such courses, minister Ashish Sood had said these programmes will be replaced by new initiatives: ‘Rashtraneeti’, ‘New Era of Entrepreneur Ecosystem and Vision’, and ‘Science of Living’ programmes.
He had also highlighted that the AAP government’s education schemes – Business Blasters, Happiness curriculum and Mission Buniyaad – were only focused on advertisements and gaining political mileage rather than helping students become self-reliant.