Last Updated: March 10, 2023, 10:18 AM IST
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced the launch of Mission Shakti in October 2020 to protect women of the state (Representative image)
A total of 2,33,035 girl students across 1000 schools in Uttar Pradesh are receiving this training via sports instructors
The Department of Basic Education, Uttar Pradesh has announced self-defence training for schoolgirls in 1,000 schools across the state on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2023, March 8. A total of 2,33,035 girl students are receiving this training via sports instructors.
The official handle of the department put out a tweet in Hindi that roughly translated to, “Self-defence training is being given to girl students in one thousand schools of the state by sports instructors. And 2,33,035 girl students have been given training through this.”
Last year, the Yogi Adityanath government decided to impart self-defence training in upper primary and composite schools as part of phase 4 of Mission Shakti.
Under Mission Shakti, self-defence training is being provided to ensure the safety and well-being of girls and their physical and mental self-dependency too. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced the launch of Mission Shakti in October 2020 to protect women of the state.
As per the plan, the compulsory self-defence training began in December 2022 and was supposed to end on February 2023. During the prescribed period for sports, physical education, arts, and music, physical education instructors as well as Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) sports teachers offered training to all girls studying in various schools. The specialised training was conducted under the supervision of the headmaster of the school.
Apart from school children, a teacher at the school was also included during the training process. In the first week of the programme (during the warm-up activities), a mock drill was conducted along with the school children for making them aware of the safety measures, laws, and helpline numbers among others.
A booklet was also published by the Women and Child Protection Organisation Headquarters, Lucknow. It was based on important laws concerning crimes against women and children. A few important pointers from the booklet were also read and discussed in detail with the children.
The self-defence instructions are intended to help in the development of girls’ psychological, intellectual, and physical fortitude to defend themselves in tough situations. Over 10,000 health and physical education instructors and 10,904 instructors and teachers are working in 746 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas in the state.
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