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On Melania Trump’s itinerary, a likely trip to AAP govt’s ‘happiness class’ in Delhi school

During her Delhi visit on 25 February, Melania Trump is likely to take a look at various activities that students at government schools engage in.

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New Delhi: US First Lady Melania Trump is likely to attend a “happiness class” in a Delhi government school and also see other initiatives of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in school education, weeks after the BJP had trashed the latter’s claims of success in this sector in the run-up to the assembly polls. 

It was the US First Lady who had approached the Delhi government through her “Be Best” initiative to evince interest in the “happiness curriculum”, AAP sources have told ThePrint.   

The Be Best campaign focuses on major issues facing children of today and concentrates on three main pillars: well-being, online safety, and opioid abuse.

ThePrint has learnt that Melania Trump may visit a government school in South or East Delhi on 25 February, the second day of the US President Donald Trump’s visit. The US First Lady will spend some time with the school children in an hour-long visit. 

Sources told ThePrint that besides the happiness curriculum, Melania Trump will also be looking at various other activities that students at Delhi government schools engage in.   

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), however, there are still no plans of the First Lady visiting any school in Delhi. The ministry falls under the Modi government. 

The itinerary of the First Lady is still in the works, sources in the MEA said. The decision will be taken by the US Embassy. 


Also read: AAP shows education can bring political benefits. Will other states follow?


Kejriwal likely to welcome Melania

Sources in the AAP, on the other hand, said Melania is likely to be welcomed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia.   

It was Sisodia who had introduced the happiness curriculum two years ago as an attempt to reduce stress among schoolchildren in the national capital. The happiness class involves 40 minutes of meditation, relaxing and even outdoor activities. 

The First Lady’s visit will take place when President Trump will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But her presence in a Delhi school will be a vindication of the AAP government’s efforts in the sector, which the BJP has been playing down, particularly in the run-up to the assembly elections. 

The Trump visit

The Trumps will begin their two-day visit at Ahmedabad on 24 February. 

President Trump and Melania Trump will attend a mega “Namaste, Trump” event at the newly-built cricket stadium in Ahmedabad – said to be the world’s largest – and travel to Agra to see the Taj Mahal before reaching Delhi for the operative part of the visit. 

They are scheduled to have an open-press welcome ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 25 February. 

The Trumps will also attend a state banquet dinner at Rashtrapati Bhavan hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind, after which, they will depart from New Delhi at around 10 pm.

(With inputs from Nayanima Basu)


Also read: Here’s the syllabus Kejriwal govt followed to change the fate of Delhi’s public schools


 

 

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