Gurukuls to get free land in Haryana:CM

The Haryana government will give land free of cost to 'gurukuls' which provide free education to children, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said today.

The state government would also assist in making all necessary arrangements required to run such schools including teachers, he said.

Khattar was speaking as the chief guest at a programme on the 'Relevance of the Gurukul system in the present era' organised by Panchnad Shodh Sansthan here.

Underlining the significance of gurukuls, the chief minister said instead of confining just to the three R's : reading, writing, and 'arithmetic, the moral values, yoga, patriotism should be made a part of education system.

He said that earlier it was the moral responsibility in our society to provide facilities of health and education to the people free of cost but today while the common man lacks resources to avail these facilities, the rich spend immense wealth on them.

Khattar said the Haryana state government had taken many steps for a qualitative change in the education system. A major chunk of the state budget is spent on providing free education to the children, he said.

The state government has also constituted a 21 member State Higher Education Council headed by Prof B K Kuthiala to create an enabling environment for promoting academic excellence, he said.

He advocated abolishing the 'no detention policy' for class first to eighth saying the system had adversely affected the studying habit of students as they have no fear of failing in exams.

Khattar also said that Haryana had made its mark in various spheres, the world over.

Earlier, the Gita Jayanti Samaroh was organised in Kurukshetra at a much smaller scale, he said. The present state government has been holding an international level event, he said. People from 25 countries have participated during the last three years, he said.

This year, the programmes of Gita Jayanti Samaroh would also be held in Mauritius and the United Kingdom (UK), he said.

Earlier, Director, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, Dr Jagat Ram described Gurukul education as the best education system which aims at the overall development of children.

Kuthiala said the Panchnad Shodh Sansthan was set up in the year 1984-85 to maintain a sense of harmony in the society.