Meditation to help students keep stress at bay

With a view to helping school students to de-stress themselves,the state education department has decided to introduce compulsory sessions of meditation in schools across the state.

With a view to helping school students to de-stress themselves,the state education department has decided to introduce compulsory sessions of meditation in schools across the state. According to officials,the new initiative Mitra Upakram will be implemented from the next academic year so that students are able to fight stress and stay mentally fit. The officials of state education department say this will help sensitise students and also help in improving their concentration.

Throwing light on the initiative,Dr Shridhar Salunkhe,director of secondary and higher secondary education,said,It has been observed that the level of interaction between parents and children has gone down. Children could then tend to become either aggressive or introverted,he said. This,in turn,affects their academic performance as well as their general behaviour. The two 10 minute meditation sessions soon after school starts and just before school ends will ensure that their minds are cleared of any negative thoughts and would also improve their concentration.

Salunkhe added,We have named the initiative as Mitra Upakram because will entail increasing interaction amongst students and make the student accept each classmate as a friend.

While many schools have welcomed the move,some say that implementation of Mitra Upakram will not be effective due to space constraints. We have been conducting yoga sessions in our school,but only for interested students and that too on a weekly basis. Now that the department is introducing it formally,it will help students. However,not all schools will be able to implement it properly due to space constraints. Meditation sessions cannot be conducted in classrooms or while sitting on benches, said the principal of a south Mumbai school.

However,parents appreciated the move. It will help students have a clear mind and concentrate on studies. It will also enable the teachers to de-stress. I hope this is implemented properly, said Arundhati Chavan,president of Parents-Teachers Association United Forum.

Salunkhe said the department has issued circulars to schools and would conduct training sessions and workshops for principals and teachers,who will then train other teachers in their schools. The workshops are on in parts of the state. We are conducting these sessions in phases and aiming at completing them by the beginning of the next academic year,before the schools re-open, said Salunkhe.

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Department of Education