Telangana: 5-minute Yoga directive in govt schools to remain a non-starter?

Hyderabad: Does the State government casually give clearance to the Academic Calendar for Classes I to X, treating it as a routine bureaucratic ritual? Is it time parents of children studying in government-run schools question the unilateral decisions and demand accountability of the school education department?

These questions assume significance following the State government's approval of the school academic calendar for the year 2024-25 and its officials not paying attention even to the basics of the proposed activities for Classes I to X.

For example, the School Academic Calender for 2024-25, among others, in its schedule of activities for Class I to X, prescribes, "Yoga and Meditation are to be conducted daily in school Assembly or after Assembly in the classroom. 5 minutes shall be allocated for this activity." Asking how the School Education Department (SED) prescribed such activity in gross violation of the Standard Operating Practices (SoP) of Yoga, an Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) doctor of Government Ayurveda Hospital, Charminar, pointed out, "It is contradictory to both the traditional Yoga school practices and the guidelines and protocols for Yoga issued by the Union AYUSH ministry."

The principal guideline is, "The practice sessions should start with a prayer or an invocation in a conducive environment to relax the mind. Yoga practices shall be performed slowly, in a relaxed manner and with awareness of the body and breathing."

Also, practising Yoga with an empty or light stomach is a must. It should not be performed immediately after a large meal. The bladder and bowels should be empty before starting Yoga practices.

An important issue is that adolescent girls and women are prescribed to refrain from regular yoga practice, specifically asanas, during menses. They should instead practice relaxation techniques and pranayama. Because “there are contra-indications/ limitations for each Yoga practice and such contra-indications have to be kept in mind.”

The SoP is very elaborate, and every step has been mentioned clearly in AYUSH guidelines for Yoga. With what authority and reasoning the school education department prescribes five-minute Yoga and meditation remains questionable.

When asked, TSUTF Leader Chava Ravi said there are no separate Yoga trainers to impart the practice in the government schools. “If it is meditation, in most of the schools the students recite a sloka,” he said.

Is the practice of Yoga during the school assembly right? How can students practice Yoga in a classroom full of benches? How can Yoga be prescribed when students attend school after their morning breakfast? Speaking to The Hans India, a Gazetted HM of a High School in Saroornagar said, "There are no guidelines sent to us on how to conduct Yoga and meditation sessions. None of the staff in the school are trained in Yoga. The activity was also prescribed in the previous academic calendar. However, no Yoga or meditation sessions were conducted in the school, except for observing an event on the International Yoga Day," he said.