On the invitation of Dr. Jayanthi Gunasekera (DG/NIE) at the Meepe Teacher Training Institute today (January 19), the NIE academic & non-academic staff members were introduced to mindfulness. A three hour program included activities like sitting & walking mindfully, eating mindfully, using the magic mind jar and listening to the sound of silence using the singing bowl. A very healthy & lively Q and A followed.
The NIE is the premier Education Institute of the Ministry of Education that is responsible for Curricula Development, Teacher Education/Training, Text Book & education materials development, I.e. it is the Nerve-Centre in the development of Education.
Introducing mindfulness in way that it can be integrated into the Education system so that it doesn’t become yet another academic burden to students, was discussed. The latter would invariably lead to tuition classes, exam pressure, and eventually the purpose of introducing mindfulness to students & teachers would be defeated. The understanding of mindfulness by the participants was very encouraging, and they believed that this message could be incorporated into education development and training.