Melania Trump to visit Delhi govt school; CM Kejriwal says 'great day for teachers, students'

Trump in India: First Lady of the US, Melania Trump, will visit a government school in Delhi today. She will witness various activities as part of the 'happiness curriculum' at the school. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that it is a "great day for our teachers, students and Delhiites".

"FLOTUS will attend happiness class in our school today. Great day for our teachers, students and Delhiites. For centuries, India has taught spirituality to the world. Am happy that she will take back the msg of happiness from our school," said the Chief Minister.

.@FLOTUS will attend happiness class in our school today. Great day for our teachers, students and Delhiites. For centuries, India has taught spirituality to the world. Am happy that she will take back the msg of happiness from our school

- Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 25, 2020

Melania Trump will reach the school in South Delhi around noon and spend over an hour there. She will take a tour of the school, go to different classes, interact with students and witness activities as part of the 'happiness curriculum'.

Security has been tightened around the school. All roads leading to the school has been fortified and trees have been pruned on the directions of the security agencies. The roads have also been repaired and the sidewalks have been freshly painted. Saplings have also been plated as beautification measure in the vicinity of the school.

However, CM Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who were earlier scheduled to welcome the FLOTUS to the government school, do not feature in the list of invitees anymore. The ministers expressed their anguish over the exclusion of their names from the list and said it is "protocol" and "convention" that state leaders are present when foreign leaders attend events in their respective states.

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The Kejriwal-led AAP said the names of the leaders were dropped upon the request of the Modi-led BJP. The US Embassy on Sunday stated they had no objection to the presence of Kejriwal and Sisodia during FLOTUS' visit, as mentioned in a report in news agency PTI.

Manish Sisodia, who is also the education minister in Delhi, said in a statement: "It is a matter of great pride for Delhi government, Delhi government teachers and students that First Lady Melania Trump is visiting a Delhi government school. It is a big appreciation for us that the work of AAP government in education sector, especially Happiness Classes, is being recognised in the world."

As part of the 'happiness curriculum' that was introduced in July 2018, students studying in Classes I-VIII attend a 45-minute 'happiness class' every day and participate in activities like storytelling, meditation and question and answer sessions.

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