Rajasthan schools to have sermons, story-telling sessions on Saturdays

Jaipur, June 12 (IANS) Saturdays will be different in government schools of Rajasthan from the new academic session, with special sessions on life of distinguished personalities, moral lessons, quizzes and patriotic songs to make the students "culturally and morally strong".

The Education Department has included these proposed extra-curricular activities in its annual calendar.

According to the calendar, biographies of distinguished people will be read out by their teachers or headmasters on first Saturday while stories giving moral lessons and inspiration will be read on second Saturdays.

The third Saturday of the month has been fixed to listen to sermons of saints, the fourth for quiz programmes while fifth will have plays on moral values and the students will also be singing patriotic songs.

According to state Education Minister Vasudev Devnani, this initiative will develop moral values in students which will ensure they become good human beings and good citizens of India.

A senior official meanwhile told IANS that the initiative has been taken to develop moral values in school children which is declining at a fast pace.

"We want them to learn how family as an institute remains united no matter what the circumstances are. The senior citizens of the family once were guiding lights of the family and kids used to enjoy their story-telling sessions.

"Hence we are trying to bring in same values for young generation," he added, saying that opposition blames them for "saffronising" the education but this is what is needed at this point of time.