We want students to spread love, not hate: Kejriwal at Happiness Utsav

The closing ceremony of the event that took place at Thyagraj Stadium was attended by both chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, besides teachers and children from various schools.

The Delhi government’s ‘Happiness Utsav’ that was initiated a fortnight ago to mark four years of the introduction of the happiness curriculum in government schools concluded on Friday with a meditation session led by motivational speaker Sister Shivani.

New Delhi, July 29 (ANI):Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses at the closing ceremony of Happiness Utsav, at Thyagraj Stadium in New Delhi.

The closing ceremony of the event that took place at Thyagraj Stadium was attended by both chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, besides teachers and children from various schools. Kejriwal, who participated in a drum performance during the session, said that the happiness curriculum had brought positive changes to children’s lives and strengthened their mental balance. He said that the government wanted students to spread the message of love, not hate.

Kejriwal said that children studying in Delhi government schools will become prime ministers and chief ministers, doctors, engineers and lead the nation. “In the coming times, we want to prepare students who will defeat hate and spread the message of love. They will create a positive environment in the country so that our country can become the number one country in the world.”

The Delhi government launched the happiness curriculum in 2018 to teach students to become happier individuals. According to the Delhi government, around 1.8 million students attend happiness classes everyday. The first period of the day in each school is reserved for the happiness class.

“Our students will help make the country the number one nation in the world. The happiness curriculum aims to make children happier, recognise their potential and become better humans,” Kejriwal said, adding that the government had invested ₹90,000 crore on education in the past seven years.

“This course has transformed thousands of lives by now. The course aims to keep the children happy and peaceful along with becoming good human beings. Peace of mind is elementary for an individual to be a good human being,” Kejriwal said.

The chief minister also raised concerns about the mounting pressure on children and outlined how happiness classes helped them tackle the pressure. “In today’s times, students face immense pressure, especially academic pressure. Parents also pressurise them if their results are not up to the mark. They even compare their performance with other students who score good marks. This pressure has resulted in suicides. Happiness classes changed that as well,” Kejriwal said.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that children were taught to be happy through discussions, stories, activities and mindfulness in happiness classes. “I am proud and happy that every day 1.8 million students of Delhi government schools start their day with mindfulness. This has not only brought a change in their personality but also brought a positive change in the school environment,” Sisodia said.

He added that the Delhi government studied global models of education to understand the importance of social-emotional learning before implementing the happiness curriculum. Sisodia said that the happiness curriculum had not been implemented anywhere else in the country. “We accepted this as a challenge and took responsibility for teaching our students to be happy and making them good human beings,” he said.