Haryana to include yoga as separate subject in all government schools from next session

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government on Wednesday announced that yoga will be included as a separate subject in all government schools from the next academic session.

The decision, which the government said is aimed at inculcating the habit of practising yoga among students, was taken at a meeting of the Haryana Yog Parishad chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

The government also decided to set up 1,000 more 'yogshalas' in the state, according to an official statement.

"Yoga will be included in the school curriculum as a separate subject in all government schools across the state from the next academic session commencing April 1, 2021," the statement said.

During the meeting, officials informed that apart from moral education, yoga is already being taught to students since academic session 2016-17, it said.

"But, taking a step ahead now, it has been decided that yoga will be a compulsory or optional subject in the school curriculum and the Department of School Education has constituted a committee for this purpose," it said.

According to the statement, the subject curriculum would be designed in such a way that it would have both theoretical and practical content on the pattern of physical education so that besides education students could get training in yoga.

With this, Haryana will perhaps become the first state in the country to include yoga as a subject in schools, the statement said.

Speaking at the meeting, Khattar said the aim of the state government is to take yoga to the grassroots level and encourage people to make it a part of their lifestyle, it said.

"For this, yoga, 'vyayamshalas' and other adequate infrastructure are being made available at the village level," he said.

The meeting was also attended by Health and Home Minister Anil Vij and yoga guru Ramdev, who is also the state brand ambassador for the promotion of yoga and ayurveda.

Khattar also directed the Development and Panchayats Department to submit a proposal within a week for setting up 1,000 more 'yogshalas' in the state.

Speaking at the meeting, Vij said more and more 'vyayamshalas' should be set up in the state so that the maximum number of people can practice yoga at these centres and stay healthy.

It was also decided in the meeting that to further encourage people to make yoga an integral part of their life, 'Yog Prashikshan Diwas' would be organised on the first Sunday of every month under the aegis of Haryana Yog Parishad.

Under this initiative, programmes would be organised at district, block and tehsil levels wherein trained instructors would impart yoga training to people.