The State and the Central governments have decided to impart self-defence courses for girls in all government-run schools in the State. Training courses began in some schools from Monday.
About 3.88 lakh students would be provided training during 2017-18, in 5,605 schools in the State. Commissioner of School Education Department and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) have issued instructions to all headmasters and Project Coordinators in the State in this regard.
The pilot project would be implemented in all Mandal Praja Parishad Upper Primary, Zilla Parishad High Schools, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, municipal, social and tribal welfare and model schools in all the districts.
Martial arts will be a subject in the curriculum which helps to improve their self-defence mechanism, the officials said.
Five agencies identified
The theme of introducing self-defence skills and martial arts is to enlighten the girls on self-protection techniques and also to attain physical fitness among adolescent girls. Self- defence training would be imparted to the girl students of eighth and ninth classes.As many as five agencies have been identified to implement the project in the government schools, and ₹5.15 crore has been allocated for the pilot project.
The agencies will conduct both theory and practical classes and train the students as well as the trainers in each school.
The District Educational Officers (DEOs) have been asked to take measures for successful implementation of the project and the headmasters should allocate two hours per week for the trainers in each school.
Course on self-defence should be prepared and distributed to the students.
