Guwahati, March 17: Jaanmoni Gogoi, a class VI student of Bokota Nemuguri Higher Secondary School in Sivasagar district in Upper Assam, is keen on learning yoga since the day she won first prize in a fancy dress competition dressed up Baba Ramdev.

Her wish could become a reality very soon.

The Assam government is in talks with Patanjali Yog Samiti, Assam, to make yoga a part of course curriculum in government schools of the state from the next academic session.

Talking to The Telegraph, president of Patanjali Yog Samiti, Assam, Bikash Goswami, said they have offered teachers and course materials to the state government to introduce yoga in school.

Already, Patanjali yoga pracharaks have been imparting free training to a large number of school students in 14 districts through camps.

"We are in discussion with the state education department to introduce yoga in schools from classes V to X. We have offered our teacher support. We have a 27-member research team, which has developed course curriculum for yoga education," said Goswami.

"We have come to know that the government is also mulling to appoint three yoga teachers in each block, besides setting up of a yoga centre in each block. They have selected 100 blocks in the first phase. The remaining blocks will be covered later," Goswami said.

He said they have trained up 28,000 yoga teachers.

The BJP-led government in Assam has been stressing on yoga education for students. Last year, it had organised International Day of Yoga at the home constituency of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Majuli.

Today, State Yoga Olympiad was inaugurated at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra. Students who have been selected from competitions in districts will be taking part in the Olympiad today and tomorrow.

Sixteen, selected from the participants, will head to New Delhi in June to take part in the National Yoga Olympiad organised by the National Council of Education Research and Training.

The state Olympiad is being organised by the State Council of Education Research and Training.

"Here the students have come from across the state. We have arranged their food and board at Kalakshetra," said a council official.

"When the National Curriculum Framework, 2005, came into being, physical education was made a part of school education. But in practice, physical education has remained limited in Assam to sports only. The state government is giving importance so that yoga is made a part of physical education," the official said.

The official said the council will open a yoga cell the benefits of which will be filtered down to the students through their teachers.