This Article is From Dec 26, 2012

Delhi schoolgirls to get self-defence training

New Delhi: Anger and outrage in the city against the gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman has caused the civic agency-run primary schools in New Delhi to announce that girl students and woman teachers would be trained to defend themselves.

"A self-defence programme has been launched for girl students and woman teachers," an officer of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation said on Wednesday.

Under the programme, teachers and students of 548 schools in South Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will be trained to tackle real-life situations and protect themselves from anti-social elements.

"The main objective of the programme is to create awareness about safety and teach basic self-defence techniques," the officer said.

Chairman of the education committee Satish Upadhyay said: "We have introduced this programme seeing the increase in incidents of eve-teasing, rape and manhandling in society."

It is the need of the hour that women raise their voice against crime, he said, adding that the training programme would teach not only self-defence techniques but also aid in the development of confidence, a positive attitude, greater fitness and discipline among girl students and women teachers.

Around five lakh students, both boys and girls, study in South MCD schools.

Delhi has 1,800 municipal-run schools with over 10 lakh students, both boys and girls. The 548 schools in South MCD have around five lakh students and five thousand teachers.

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