The National Council for Teacher Education's program to introduce Yoga Training for Teachers

NEW DELHI - Sept. 3, 2015 - PRLog -- In January 2015, as a major initiative towards improving the quality of teachers’ education in the country the HRD Ministry has approved a set of new regulations based on the recommendations of Justice Verma Commission. The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has finally released the New Regulations and Norms & Standards for 15 programmes through the Gazette notification. The NCTE will also include into its fold yoga education and other forms of special education.

The National Council for Teachers Education’s new program means that all the teachers while being trained as teachers in a subject of their choice will have a component of Yoga in their training. This will be helpful not only for the teachers, but they would be able to impart simple practices to the students as well.

Prof Santosh Panda, Chairperson, National Council for Teachers Education proposed that there should be standardization of Yoga education and a separate cadre of Yoga teachers, for the purpose of uniformity in the education system. This is a first ever systematized effort to introduce Yoga in the education. This is in line with the Education Policy of 1986 and also the National Curriculum Framework 2005 where it was strongly recommended that Yoga should be part of the education system. Strengthening Yoga was also the part of the Justice Verma report on educational reforms.

In line with the above Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute launched the country’s first education program to train teachers in Yoga.  The only NCTET approved Diploma in Yoga Education.

Diploma in Yoga Education for the year 2015-16 was inaugurated recently at Kaivalyadhama Lonavla. A record number of 120 applications were received and 92 students were selected after a weeklong selection process.

As a start to put in practice, steps to inculcate Yoga in the schools with greater vigour, the Kendriya Vidyalay Sangathan, the premiere agency under the Ministry of HRD which has around 1100 schools across India and SAARC nations deputed its first batch of Yoga teachers to undergo a re-orientation training program in Yoga at Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute Lonavla. All the Yoga teachers will be sent to the institute in four batches over the period until March 2016.

The teachers went through a schedule in three hours of practice and three hours (three lectures) of theoretical discussion. Their knowledge in Yoga is not only revisited, but also upgraded. Aspects of philosophy, research, teaching methodology and anatomy physiology and effect of Yoga on school children is discussed during this 21 day training program.

Kaivalyadhama has a large infrastructure and is an institute aided by the Ministry of HRD, hence this training is being conducted here. The institute has very strong human resource to impart such training in the field of Yoga.

The closing function of the in service training program was attended by Shri. Alok Tandon, the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Finance. He appreciated the sincerity and dedication with which the teachers underwent the training. He praised the infrastructure and immense knowledge base which is available in the institute. The Director of the Zonal Institute of Education and Training of the Kendriya Vidyalay was also present as guest of honor. She reiterated that KVS is trying to ensure that Yoga , which was left behind in past decade , come back as a prime focus and practice in the schools for its value in maintaining holistic health amongst both school teachers and the students.