Date:18/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/18/stories/2008111860040600.htm

Karnataka

Yoga in schools from next year

Staff Reporter

Taluk-level yoga contests will be held, says Kageri
English syllabi of Class I and Class II being reviewed

Bangalore: Yoga will be introduced in government primary and secondary schools from the next academic year, Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, has said.

He was responding to suggestions by MLAs at the inaugural function of a workshop for teachers here on Monday.

The workshop was organised by the Bharat Seva Dal Kendra Samiti, the Department of Public Instruction, Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan and the Directorate of State Education Research and Training.

Speaking to reporters later, the Minister said the department had taken note of the stress and pressure among students.

“Yoga will be of help to them,” he said. The Minister also said that taluk-level yoga competitions would be conducted.

Mr. Kageri also said that the English syllabi of the first standard and second standard were being reviewed. The new syllabi would be introduced from the next academic year. The syllabi had been reviewed after the department received feedback from teachers. The department had also studied the textbooks of other States before the exercise was taken up.

The Minister said the Union Government would soon announce its admission norms. “We are waiting for that. Once the Centre announces the norms, we will use that as a model and come out with the norms for the State,” he added.

The Minister said the department was not thinking of conducting a public examination for the first pre-university course. “However, the department is making efforts to ensure that students treat the first PU examination with the same seriousness as the second PU examination. This will hopefully help improve the pass percentage in second PU examination,” he added.