Our Work

Happiness Curriculum
Delhi Govt
Nepal Govt

The essence of education goes beyond just gathering facts and securing good grades. It’s about fostering critical thinking, nurturing skills like inquiry and reasoning, and promoting a lifestyle of continual learning. Education isn’t solely the duty of academic institutions; it profoundly shapes the future of our youth and society as a whole. While formal education has its place, the informal aspects are equally vital.

In recent years, we’ve seen a paradoxical trend, technological advancements have improved our lives materially, yet mental health challenges are on the rise. Despite our comfort and convenience, there’s a noticeable decline in emotional well-being, interpersonal relationships, and a sense of purpose. Families and communities are becoming increasingly disconnected, leading to social fragmentation.

Furthermore, certain communities are grappling with social unrest due to underlying disarray, exacerbating mental health issues.These circumstances prompt important questions, Are we nurturing environments conducive to our children’s growth? Is there a surge in corruption and crime? Are students in educational settings developing empathy and social responsibility? These inquiries underscore the necessity of initiatives like the ‘Our Happiness’ curriculum.

The Happiness Curriculum, launched by the Delhi g‘vernment, is ’ow in place across government schools in the city. From nursery to eighth grade, students enjoy a dedicated 40-minute daily session focusing on happiness. Within this curriculum, they learn about mindfulness, engage in discussions on values concerning human-to-human and human-to-nature connections, and participate in various activities. Additionally, each week concludes with an Expression Day, during which students express a particular value they learned.

A notable feature of this curriculum is its absence of traditional exams; instead, students engage in self-evaluation. This innovative program blends ancient wisdom with modern educational methods.

The roots of this initiative trace back to 2007 when the Chhattisgarh government introduced the “Conscious Development Core Value Education” program. Subsequently, five books on this topic were published by SCERT Raipur. Later on, Maharashtra’s school system adopted this program during the academic year 2010-2011. Although several teacher workshops were conducted, it was in Delhi where the opportunity to extensively develop and implement this curriculum arose. Today, it is available as a handbook for students from nursery to eighth grade across the city.

We are delighted to announce that Mr. Shravan Kumar Shukla, who has been deeply engaged with Abyuday Sansthan, played a pivotal role in the development of the happiness curriculum. This curriculum is entirely rooted in the fundamental principles of Madhyast Darshan.

Links

Modern Links as Buttons (Horizontal)

NCERT Resources for Happiness curriculum SCERT Resources Madhyast darshan in National Education Policy

The flagship mentorship programmes of the Delhi government, Mentor Teacher and Teacher Development Coordinator (TDC) and the Cluster Leadership Development Programme (CLDP) rejuvenated teachers’ and principals’ motivation to contribute to Delhi’s education reforms. Directorate of Education New Delhi has been associated with Abyuday Sansthan Hapur since 2015 to empower its Mentor teachers, Principals, Vice Principals and Heads of schools with a 7 -9 days of residential workshops at Abyuday Sansthan Hapur. The training focused on enabling teachers to develop an understanding of spiritual, intellectual, behavioural, and material aspects of life. Key informants who were part of these programmes recollected feeling a personal paradigm shift caused by a sense of awareness and clarity on how to solve existential problems in society. They learnt about the principles of co-existential philosophy and practised them in their daily life. Happiness Curriculum learned at Abyuday Sansthan has succeeded in shifting the mindset of teachers, brought about changes in students’ behaviour and started a conversation around the importance of social and emotional learning of students in the education ecosystem

In 2019, the Nepalese Ambassador to India visited Delhi Government schools, where they observed a session focusing on the Happiness Curriculum. Impressed by the impact it had on the students, they were particularly struck by its effectiveness. As a result, the Government of Nepal has shown a stronginterest in incorporating this curriculum into their national educational framework.
Recognizing the evolving nature of children’s lifestyles, Nepalese authorities understand the critical importance of addressing emotional intelligence, self-identity, and happiness in young learners. Consequently, they are committed to introducing aspects of the Happiness Curriculum to meet these needs. To initiate this initiative, a delegation carefully selected by the Office of the Chief Minister from the State Affairs and Administration Division of Gandaki Province in Pokhara, Nepal, participated in an extensive 8-day residential Jeevan Vidya workshop at Abyuday Sansthan Hapur. The objective of this workshop was to provide them with the necessary knowledge and tools to successfully implement the Happiness Curriculum within the Nepalese educational system.
Once the delegation returns to Nepal, this initiative will be put into action through collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders. It aims to encompass all 65 schools, regardless of their classification, whether permanent, temporary, contractual, private, or public. As a result, a multitude of students will reap the benefits of this program. Moreover, beyond positively impacting millions of students, this project is poised to make significant contributions to local administrations, provincial entities, andfederal governments.