Personality development, public speaking, to be part of curriculum in govt schools, colleges from next year

Beyond regular academics, the schools and junior colleges will focus on personality development, public speaking skills, and sports.

Hyderabad: Starting next academic year, the government schools and colleges across the State will start to look beyond mere academics and seek to foster holistic development among students.

Beyond regular academics, the schools and junior colleges will focus on personality development, public speaking skills, and sports.

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The initiatives will be part of the extra-curricular activities with an aim of equipping students with all-round development. Amid growing concerns on substance abuse among students, there will also be an effort on the part of the educational institutions to focus on the issue and come up with awareness on the ill effects of drugs.

Recent times have seen more instances of substance abuse among young students and the police too have been paying special attention to this aspect as part of their wider crackdown on drug menace.

Emphasis is also being laid on imparting what constitutes good and bad touch, particularly for girl students in schools, besides training students on self-hygiene and environmental cleanliness. According to Principal Secretary to Government (Education department) Burra Venkatesham, this initiative aims at the holistic development of students, particularly those studying in government-run schools and colleges.

“We want to create students who are confident and are capable enough for any field,” he said. Many students feel anxious at public speaking and then there are others who lack confidence in tackling a crisis.

Instilling confidence among students and preparing them to be able to face challenges as they grow up is what the effort aims at. Modules will be ready by May 15. The Principal Secretary said the Education department has been tasked to prepare modules, which are expected to be ready by May 15.

These modules, in association with the NGOs, will be implemented in the government and local body schools besides government junior colleges across the State. Every week, educational institutions will have five hours of classes for extra-curricular activities, he added.