Happiness curriculum in Delhi govt schools from July: Deputy CM

A day after it ended its sit-in at lieutenant governor's office, the AAP dispensation today announced introduction of a "happiness curriculum" in Delhi's government schools from the coming academic session.

The "happiness curriculum" is ready and it will be launched by the Dalai Lama on July 2, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.

"The curriculum will be taught to around eight lakh students from nursery up to class 8 students of all the Delhi government schools from July," he told reporters.

The final draft of the curriculum was approved at a meeting chaired by Sisodia, who is also the education minister in the Kejriwal government.

The curriculum will include meditation, moral values and mental exercises and its core idea is to produce "sarvagun sampann" (versatile) "professionals and human beings who could serve the society with happiness", the Deputy CM said.

"After ten years or more, these children will become professionals like doctors and engineers filled with happiness and serve the society," he said.

Citing his visit to Harvard University, Sisodia said that the authorities there told him that they were running "happiness" courses but that they were not as large as what the Delhi government was planning for its 1000 schools, having eight lakh students.

He said that work was started on the curriculum from January this year and a team of 35-40 experts worked on it.