Gujarat mulls yoga training in schools

Manas Dasgupta

Ahmedabad, December 14

The Gujarat Government is considering introducing yoga teaching in secondary classes in schools. The United Nations recently declared June 21 as the “International Day of Yoga”.

Education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasma said the state government was considering the possibility of introducing yoga training as a compulsory subject for students of class VIII and higher to improve the health of students.

He pointed out that in most government schools, students of classes VI, VII and VIII were being provided training in some yoga “asanas” during prayer meetings.

“The schools take just 10 minutes to train the students a few yoga asanas of eyes and other body parts after prayer meetings. We are now considering the possibility of introducing it as a compulsory subject in higher classes to help students keep healthy and fit,” he said.

Various training centres running yoga classes are upbeat over the UN decision accepting the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who, while addressing the UN General Assembly in September, had suggested declaring one day a year as the international day of yoga.

“This will help spread awareness about the benefits of yoga and demand for yoga instructors will increase manifold in the country and elsewhere in the world. They will all be looking towards India for trained yoga instructors,” the director of a yoga training centre said.

The state government also believed that introducing yoga in the school curriculum would not only help improve the health of the students but would also help in the longer run as a vocational course for the students to secure jobs.