Yoga to be a Subject in Centre-run Schools

NEW DELHI: Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani on Monday announced that Yoga would soon be taught from Class VI  to X  in Centre-run schools and teacher education programmes.

Irani, who inaugurated the National Conference for Yoga Teachers, said course material for class VI to X would be prepared by the NCERT and training modules for teacher education programmes would be framed by NCTE on yoga.

Maintaining that the subject would not put any burden on students, the HRD Minister said, “In all Central government sponsored schools where the new yoga syllabus will be taught at the upper primary and secondary level, 80 percent marks will be for practicals and only 20 percent for theory. However, I want an assurance from students that they will perform the practicals with full devotion.” The HRD Minister said that a national-level yoga competition would be organised in the national capital next year, where the best performing student would be given a cash prize of `5 lakh.

HRD ministry sources  said that though Yoga is not compulsory currently, the Ministry was preparing guidelines for the implementation of a new syllabus. However, the programme would be mandatory in Kendriya Vidyala and Novodaya Vidyalays. “We intend to ensure that there is an increase in the physical and cultural activity in schools and that our children willingly and happily go to school,” Irani said. She said that in bid to produce a pool of trained teachers in yoga to meet the upcoming demands, a syllabus would be prepared for teachers as well. Diploma in Yoga Education, Bachelors in Yoga Education and Masters in Yoga Education will be the subjects.