Srinagar, March 11: To empower girl students, self-defence training has been going on in various government schools of Jammu & Kashmir. With this, the staff and students of various schools are enthusiastic and hoping for a positive change.
Mushtaq Ahmad, headmaster of a middle school in Lower Khonmoh told Rising Kashmir that the training has been going on in the school from the elementary level for a few days. “Girl students are very enthusiastic about it and have been actively taking part in the training programmes,” he said.
Students gain self-confidence and overcome fear and insecurities with such initiatives, he said, adding that during the programme, girl students were also taught the difference between good and bad touch.
The headmaster further said that such programmes are important for the promotion of girls’ education. “Many girls don’t study further because they fear coming out of their homes to pursue education or other matters. Self-defence training can make them confident and fearless and also reduce the dropout rate,” he said.
Saima, a 7th-class student, said the training is going to help them in gaining self-confidence. “We learnt various techniques. Such sessions are helpful in the development of the student’s personality and must be held in the future as well,” she said.
The self-defence training is being given to the students under the Centrally-sponsored scheme ‘Samagra Shiksha’. The training will be given to the girl students in 9,768 schools – 7321 upper primary schools and 2447 secondary and senior secondary schools across the Union Territory.
To start the initiative in the schools, the Project Director of J&K Samagra Shiksha has roped in a Mumbai-based firm Eduspark International. The initiative was inaugurated in presence of the Chief Education Officer (CEO) Baramulla, Chaman Lal Sharma.
The funds for the training programme have been sanctioned by the Department of School Education (DSEL) and Literacy under Rani Laxmibai Atma Raksha Prashikshan (RLARP).
