Delhi government schools to have 'Happiness Curriculum'

New Delhi: Government school students in Delhi will be taught to be happier, more confident and have greater self-esteem through introduction of an activity-oriented "Happiness Curriculum" for Nursery to Class 8 students from the coming academic session. Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the Education portfolio, made the announcement at the "Excellence in Education" awards ceremony here on Wednesday and stressed that happiness was more important than marks. "Purpose of education for students is not merely to get high marks. Education system needs to produce happier, confident and self-aware citizens. It is these self-aware citizens who will create a better society. "Education has to serve a larger moral and societal purpose and can't be looked upon in isolation from the needs of society. Even as we aim for economic equality, we must also strive for happiness equality," he said. The entire curriculum, he said, would be activity-based and no formal examinations would be there. However, a periodic assessment of the children's progress will be made using a "Happiness Index". "The government has formed a team of experts, including Delhi government school teachers and principals, to prepare a framework for the curriculum," said Sisodia.