The NCERT is planning to bring in skilled teachers to train students in yoga in schools and has decided to give financial assistance to yoga training centres for the purpose. “The objective is to bring yoga at par with other subjects of school education,” an NCERT official told PTI. Yoga is already taught as a subject up to the secondary school level.

The move comes as there is a growing realisation that yoga and physical education are not being given the due importance nor their contribution to the health and overall development of the child being adequately acknowledged, the official said, adding that the yoga institutes grooming such teachers will be entitled to a lump sum grant for meeting the training expenses.

A grant-in-aid committee under the chairmanship of joint director of NCERT will be constituted for considering the proposal. The committee will consider the proposals and approve the grant to be released to the institutions on the approved parameters. It will also monitor the implementation of the scheme, the official said. About 30 participants will be invited in one training programme.

The official said assistance will be given for training teachers in yoga in an integrated way as per the stipulations made in the National Curriculum Framework, 2005. The proposal of the yoga institutes would be routed through education departments of respective states. The regional institute of education will facilitate the preliminary scrutiny through a committee constituted for the purpose.

The State governments would also have a commitment to depute their teachers for training in the said institutions, the official said, adding, this scheme will come into effect from August 2009.

The regional institute of education will also monitor the implementation of the programme containing the proposal of the concerned yoga institutions, he said.

The training programme can stretch for one month and refresher courses may be organised for 21 days as per the requirement of the teachers, the official said. Source