‘Happiness curriculum’ for classes nursery to VIII
The Delhi government will soon start a “happiness curriculum” in its government schools, for students of classes nursery to VIII.
These classes will have a scientific and non-religious curriculum.
This will be done by the in-house team of teachers and Principals, and comprehensive research on the developments in this field from around the is being undertaken.
The announcement came during the ‘Excellence in Education’ awards ceremony held here at Thyagaraj Stadium.
“The Delhi government has commissioned a team of experts, including Delhi government school teachers, preparing a framework for Happiness curriculum,” said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday.
He added that the entire curriculum will be purely activity-based and no formal examinations will be conducted on it.
“However, a periodic assessment of children’s progress will be made using a Happiness Index,” said Sisodia, who also holds the Education portfolio.
He further said, “At a time when our neighbour Bhutan is formulating its policies to ensure a high Happiness Index for its citizens, by building an activity-based Happiness Curriculum for children studying in our schools, we can not only help enhance their personality but also influence the direction in which we are heading as a society and nation.”
Sisodia added that Delhi’s government schools have seen a remarkable turnaround in the last three years.
Not only has there been a transformation in infrastructure and capacity, but there has been a serious effort to improve learning outcomes through various interventions, he said.
This reform process, he added, cannot be carried on merely for achieving higher learning outcomes in literacy, math, science and other subjects.
“Education has to serve a larger moral and societal purpose and cannot be looked at in isolation from the needs of society. Even as we aim for economic equality, we must strive for ‘happiness equality’ as well.” said Sisodia.
The Deputy CM also appealed to teachers and students of Delhi government schools to come forward and assist the government in developing the Happiness Curriculum.