Bengaluru: Yoga is slowly becoming a part of the school syllabus. Even though students and parents are divided over Yoga classes, many schools in the city have now introduced Yoga as part of their extra-curricular activity. Interestingly in these schools, for children between Std VI and X, yoga has been proposed where 80 marks are allotted for the practicals and 20 marks for subjects related to Yoga. They are following the syllabus prepared and released by the CBSE which has now made Yoga a compulsory subject in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas.
According to parents, the CBSE schools have introduced yoga as compulsory subject after the June 21 International Yoga Day. To add to it, many non-CBSE schools have introduced yoga in their PT classes. But schools declined to comment saying no controversy is involved in this as they are following what the CBSE has directed them to do.
Speaking to this newspaper, principals and parents of many schools informed that yoga was followed in the time-table every week. To add to it, yoga display has been introduced in the Sports Day event. "Even before the International Yoga Day celebrations, we had yoga classes. Nowadays, it has become popular among students and parents.
“Parents even want to know who the Yoga tutor is and what his qualification is,” said the principal of a prestigious CBSE school of the city. “We have students from many communities. So, we have introduced yoga quietly. Or else there might be some confusion and controversy,” he said.
Meanwhile many city schools have decided to follow the yoga syllabus released by the CBSE on June 22. "It is not compulsory for affiliated schools except Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas. But in our school parents want the subject. It has 80marks for the practicals and 20 marks for the written test on yoga. We are waiting for the board’s directions over the exam pattern and grading system," said the principal of another school.
Mr. D Shashikumar, general secretary, Associated Managements of Government Recoginsed English Medium Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) informed that even before Yoga Day, yoga was introduced in the PT classes in most of the schools. "We are teaching yoga from many years in the PT classes. So there is nothing new to it," he said.
