Assam: Assam education department has said that any teacher who is willing to participate in Vipassana meditation course, will be granted a 12 day leave to do so, in a tweet.
The tweet said that the government made this decision because it want teachers to be capable of teaching students Vipassana.
Talking about the positive effects of Vipassana, the tweet said, "It (Vipassana) aims to purify the mind, eliminating negative qualities like anger and greed, leading towards enlightenment. Practiced widely in non-sectarian settings, often in 10-day retreats, it emphasizes self-observation and mindfulness."
Reportedly, teachers have started to arrive to the designated center, which is run by an organization in the Chandrapur neighborhood on the outskirts of the city.
Although the center has been open for business for some time, this is the first formal directive that allows teachers to participate in Vipassana training. Travel time is included in the 10-day program, and a twelve-day break is authorized.
Student organizations like the Students' Federation of India (SFI) told TOI that they rejected the government proposal to allow teachers to travel for Vipassana learning "at the cost of regular classes," even though teacher organizations have not yet stated whether they support or oppose the move.
“When over 3,000 government schools are run by a single teacher, if one teacher goes out for a course facilitated by a private trust, what will the students do? What is the interest of the government behind sanctioning 12-day leave?” asked Sangeeta Das, Assam state secretary of SFI told TOI.
