Learning begins in the assembly now

Updated on: Sunday, February 05, 2012

There's more to morning assemblies than prayers now. Some schools devote up to an hour, with presentations, news and also a thought for the day. The prayers are increasingly secular, and the venues are covered halls instead of school grounds.

At Delhi Public School, RK Puram, the primary section starts the day with a secular prayer centred on truth and honesty. This is followed by a moral principle and the day's headlines. Every day, some students also present a cultural programme. The older students have their assembly in the audio-visual hall where a presentation is made on a large screen.

"There is a theme for every presentation. It was gratitude yesterday. A student gives a short speech on a subject, which is followed by an entertainment programme," said principal DR Saini, adding that the assembly is held in the air conditioned hall so that students don't get distracted in the summer heat or the winter chill. Although it is an English medium school, DPS RK Puram has its assembly prayer in Hindi. "I feel it has more meaning," says the principal.

In some schools, the assembly time has a spiritual flavour. At Kulachi Hansraj Model School in Ashok Vihar, children recite not only religious prayers but also the Gayatri Mantra. It is followed by a thought for the day and a talk by a teacher for two to four minutes.

Sometimes, the national anthem is sung and there are short performances by students, says Principal Pammi Dutta.

Students feel a lot more can be done to make assembly periods less boring. A standard XI student of Greenfields Public School, for instance, feels the prayer can be more secular in nature to make children from all sections comfortable. He also said it can be shorter with more space to understand children's issues.

"We recite the Gayatri Mantra and then we have an English prayer called 'Hail Thy Children'. Teachers usually speak on a certain theme for a few minutes and then there is the National Anthem or 'Vande Mataram'. I feel the assembly can be made more colourful by using relevant discussions for students," he said.

For Devyansh Sharma, a student of Class VIII at GD Goenka Public School, assembly is the time to calm his mind and prepare for the hectic day ahead. "We have an English prayer, a Hindi prayer and the national anthem on selected days, followed by announcements by teachers. Sometimes, there are special assemblies where children perform. They either recite or perform a play or a dance. I enjoy the assembly period because it's a nice welcome to the students before starting studies."

Times of India

Learning begins in the assembly now

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