Happiness Curriculum launched
Move seeks to combine modern education with ancient Indian knowledge
The Delhi government on Monday launched “Happiness Curriculum” for its school students, with the Dalai Lama gracing the occasion and saying that India can lead the world by uniting the modern and ancient knowledge and help it overcome “negative emotions” of the mankind.
Launching the curriculum for students of nursery up to Class 8, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal termed the occasion “historical”.
Congratulating Delhi government for its initiative to include “Happiness Curriculum” in its schools, the Dalai Lama said, “Only India has the ability to combine modern education with ancient knowledge which is necessary for fulfilment of human emotions.”
He said such a combination will pave way for physical and mental well being, solving troubles caused due to negative and destructive emotions like anger, hatred and jealousy. “India needs to understand that it is its secularity and communal harmony that various school of thoughts are coexisting peacefully,” he added.
The Dalai Lama called for revival of the ancient Indian knowledge in the country of its origin and its subsequent spread across the world, including the countries following Buddhism.
“By reviving this ancient knowledge, India can become the modern guru,” the Dalai Lama said.
Criticising the education system introduced by the British in India, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the system had a single agenda to produce clerks.
“The education system introduced by the British had a single agenda and that is to produce clerks and it saddens me that even post independence, we weren’t able to get rid of the system,” said Mr Kejriwal, while addressing the public on the sidelines of the launch of Delhi government’s ‘ happiness curriculum’.
“The current educational structure introduced by Lord Thomas Macaulay in India, teaches the students to cram from textbooks, it doesn’t teach them to ask questions and thus to change this, we with the support of academicians have come up with the course ( happiness curriculum) which tends to begin the process of change within our system,” he said.
Mr Kejriwal termed the “Happiness Curriculum” as the third stage of reforms in education sector initiated by his government after focusing on infrastructure development and motivation of teachers at the government schools.
The curriculum will involve 45 minutes of activity daily with emphasis on meditation, valuebased education, storytelling with focus on values and reflective questions. Each class will begin with a five- minute meditation practice.