At 6, tomorrow (21/6/2026) early Sunday Morning, the Goa Directorate of Education has issued a circulars for compulsory celebration of International Yoga Day. They are given options to attend the function at other locations, provided they submit an attendance certificate. This has drawn criticism from government and government aided school educators and parents across …
At 6, tomorrow (21/6/2026) early Sunday Morning, the Goa Directorate of Education has issued a circulars for compulsory celebration of International Yoga Day. They are given options to attend the function at other locations, provided they submit an attendance certificate. This has drawn criticism from government and government aided school educators and parents across the state. They expressed that participation in such programmes should not be compulsory and instead voluntary.
Cecille Rodrigues, a parent and active voice said the directive has failed to take into account the schedules and commitments of many families. “Anything that needs to be done should be by invitation. It should not be forced,” she said. “Sunday is a mandatory day off and also a mandatory day for a lot of people from the Catholic religion who have different activities planned.” She also pointed out that children normally won’t wake at 5.00am for school, especially if they live nearby. This creates a burden not only on the exhausted little kids but also on the parents. She suggested that the concerned authorities could have shared a link and allowed participants to complete the activity at a time convenient to them. Questioning the requirement of attendance certificate she said ““It doesn’t serve the purpose of yoga, which is mindfulness and enjoying what you are doing. When something is forced, it is never enjoyed. It stops becoming yoga and becomes attendance.”
The Headmaster of Almeida High School Ponda, Pravin Concar raised similar concerns. He says “there was no need to make it compulsory. This is not a day of national importance or Liberation Day. It is something different.” He mentioned that many private schools have already observed the Yoga Day during regular school hours.
He also highlighted the practical difficulties faced by teachers for different parts of the state. “For my school in Ponda, teachers come from Bicholim, Valpoi and other places. It is not possible for them to reach at 6 o’clock in the morning,” he mentioned. “Even I have to get up at 4 o’clock to reach school before the students arrive.”he added on that 6am was an inappropriate time and unsuitable for teachers students and parents.
This controversy has come amidst a much broader debate over the Directorate’s directive. Critics believe that Yoga is definitely a widely appreciated healthy practice and participation should not burden or overburden the community rather encouraged at a time convenient for all.
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