Opinion: From Delhi to every other corner- let's take happiness factor to schools

Consideration for others, patience, peace and self love, are the traits that children need to learn to overcome destructive emotions and various challenges life throws at us. And, Delhi government has taken a significant step towards the aim - teaching kids to stay happy, content , confident and grateful.

Delhi government has launched 'Happiness Curriculum' for students of nursery to class 8. About 10 lakh students of government schools in the national capital are covered under the curriculum.

The 45-minute 'Happiness Period' begins with mindfulness session, followed by meditation, value education, storytelling and other activities to help students understand their role and responsibilities in the social system.

The curriculum was prepared with the help of over 40 teachers, educators and volunteers in about six months.

Why should 'Happiness Curriculum' be implemented across the country?

Like all of us, children too find it difficult to overcome negative emotions (anger, hatred, jealousy, frustration), stress and depression. Mental health of students has become a cause of concern for policymakers.

The curriculum introduced by the Delhi government would play an important role in improving physical and mental well being of the children -motivating them to embrace positive behaviour and thinking. This would also help them face emotional setbacks and handle success in more balanced way.

Researchers from Tulane University in the US also say that mindfulness activities improve psychosocial and emotional quality of life scores for students.

It is indeed a remarkable reform, which focuses on human-centric education. If we teach children the importance of calm and positive attitude, balanced thoughts and gratitude, from the beginning- they would grow up to be more responsible and humble.

According to experts, the curriculum would be a lot more helpful for the unprivileged children as they face additional difficulties and are more vulnerable. Moreover, mindfulness activities and mental exercises could also help in early detection of any kind of mental disorders among students.

According to the data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), every hour, one student commits suicide. A 2012 Lancet report adds that the world’s highest suicide rates for youth aged 15 to 29.

There is a need to revamp the existing education system. We need a balanced policy that would create responsible, socially conscious and morally sound citizens. Therefore, schools across the country should think about adopting the 'Happiness Curriculum', which is innovative and breaks away from regular teaching practices. It takes happiness factor to schools in a systematic way.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)