To counter the rise in depression, happiness is available as a subject for students in New Delhi.
For three- to 14-year-old students, there has been a daily one-hour happiness class in New Delhi, India's capital, since 2018. The reason for this new school subject is to prevent mental illness.
"Delhi introduced happiness classes four years ago because they were finding more and more mental illnesses, such as depression, in children," Sebastian Manz, a German reporter that investigated in that topic, said. "There is then usually one question per hour for the older children, which you work on and spend the rest of the hour dealing with it," Sebastian Manz explains.
The lessons for the older students start with a meditation, followed by open discussions on ever-changing topics. These lessons are designed to provide a safe place for students to talk about whatever is on their minds and on their minds. Bullying, test anxiety and the relationship with parents are also topics in this subject. Among other things, the younger students learn how to enjoy food by eating it slowly and what senses are engaged."I think I perceived an above-average level of harmony, certainly in the class I was able to observe," reports correspondent Manz.
In addition to mindfulness, another goal is to achieve appreciative interaction among the children. According to some teachers, fisticuffs among the children have completely disappeared since the introduction of this school subject.
Well-being is important at school and the global society. They have an essential role to play in supporting students to make healthy lifestyle choices and understand the effects of their choices on their health and well-being which is also one big global goal that has to be achieved within the Sustainable Development Goals.
Childhood and adolescence is a critical period in the development of long-term attitudes towards personal well-being and lifestyle choices. The social and emotional skills, knowledge and behaviours that young people learn in the classroom help them build resilience and set the pattern for how they will manage their physical and mental health throughout their lives.
Schools are able to provide students with reliable information and deepen their understanding of the choices they face. They are also able to provide students with the intellectual skills required to reflect critically on these choices and on the influences that society brings to bear on them, including through peer pressure, advertising, social media and family and cultural values.
There is a direct link between well-being and academic achievement and vice versa, for example well-being is a crucial prerequisite for achievement and achievement is essential for well-being. Physical activity is associated with improved learning and the ability to concentrate. Strong, supportive relationships provide students with the emotional resources to step out of their intellectual ‘comfort zone’ and explore new ideas and ways of thinking, which is fundamental to educational achievement.
More information: https://www.deutschlandfunknova.de/beitrag/indien-glueck-als-schulfach