In order to tackle rising stress among students, Delhi University’s Ramanujan College is offering a free six-month certificate course for students on happiness. The course will be provided by the college’s School of Happiness, which was inaugurated last year.
“After workshops and seminars on the subject, we realised that students would benefit from a certificate course on the subject,” said TK Mishra, convener of the school, which is run under the college’s Centre for Ethics and Values.
The course, open to all DU students, will have candidates participating in community service, yoga and meditation, and activities which would improve their personality, life skills and communication skills. Students would also be introduced to “glimpses of our vedas and spirituality”.
Mishra added that the college had kept little syllabus workload so that it would not cause an additional burden. Students will also get relaxation in attendance for regular classes. Though the course is free, the college may charge a nominal amount for transportation while organising outdoor activities, Mishra said.
College officials said as per a memorandum of understanding signed with MCI Management Centre at lnnsbruck, Austria, four students would also be selected for higher education as a part of an exchange programme. Two students will also be selected for a cultural exchange programme with them.
“The students want to learn new things. They come here from different regions to study and often there is a lot of stress. Even employers said that certain life skills like confidence was lacking in them,” principal SP Aggarwal said while explaining the need for the course. “The course would help in instilling these skills in students.”
The college said it has tied-up with NGOs for instructors. “Psychologists and members of our Applied Psychology department will also interact with students,” Mishra said.
