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Orissa students to be taught right values

Bibhuti Mishra in Bhubaneswar

Orissa's students will take lessons in yoga and sex education as part of their curriculum from the coming month. "Meditation, yoga and general knowledge would be our top priority while revamping school education in Orissa. We have to build good citizens for the future," said School and Mass Education Minister Bhagabat Behera who is spearheading the effort to overhaul the curricula for primary and secondary level students.

"The country needs true patriots, of which there would be no shortage if students are inculcated with the right values. Hence, all these changes in the school curriculum," the minister revealed.

The changes would be mandatory for all types of schools - public and private. Close to 1.5 million students would benefit from this exercise. Initially, yoga teachers would be requisitioned from Satyananda Yogashram (Bhubaneswar) and other religious institutions, till the government trains its own teachers.

The general knowledge part would include sex education and information on sexually transmitted diseases. "This is necessary to ensure a healthy life for the students who, with their malleable minds, could be easily led astray. Our students should be physically and morally strong," the minister emphasised.

Lessons on environment protection, human rights, fundamental rights and secularism would also be a part of this new curriculum. A plan is afoot to take students to the cyclone-affected regions between July 15 and 30 so that each of them can plants a tree there.

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