"Happiness Class enters homes in the times of corona lockdown. Approx 8 lakh families of students upto grade 8 are getting instructions on phone and participating in the Happiness Class," Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia said on Monday.

 

Sisodia, also the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, had said parents of students studying in classes up to Class 8 will receive audio calls (IVR) from the Education Department to guide them on how to take on the role of teachers at home.

 

"Step by step activities will be shared through pre recorded audio messages on how to conduct Happiness classes at their homes," Sisodia had said last week.

 

The purpose behind the Happiness curriculum, according to the Education Department, was to make children introspect and get to know themselves better.

 

"Mindfulness is practiced by all students everyday in our schools. We are all gripped with anxiety today. These are unusual times and we do not know what to do as a fun activity. We cannot go out, can't go for movies, or sit in the parks, we are confined to our homes, with our family. In such situations, it is possible to get irritated with one another, and we don't know how to refresh our minds as we are still restricted to our homes," Sisodia said.

 

He said under these circumstances, the Happiness class is all the more important.

 

"The activities of Happiness class would now be conducted at home everyday by the parents. We will support around 8 lakh students and their families to practise mindful meditation with the help of the teachers. It is important to turn the atmosphere positive in our homes and make the families spend quality time together," he added.

 

The Happiness Curriculum was launched in July, 2018 where over 10 lakh students between Class 1 and 8 and about 50,000 teachers share the 45 minute Happiness Class, which connects knowledge to life outside the school.

 

During the Happiness Classes, the students are asked to express their thoughts freely and creatively.