The southern Indian state of Kerala has defended its decision to introduce Zumba classes in public schools after protests by religious groups earlier this week.

Some 14,000 state -run schools in Kerala have been asked to organize daily. Zumba session as part of an anti -drug campaign launched by the government last month.

This decision has been strongly opposed by some Hindu and Muslim organizations of the state, which says that dance is a form of “cultural attack”.

They are urging parents and teachers to boycott the program, saying that it is against their religious beliefs and moral values. While protests have died, groups continue to oppose the policy.

However, the Kerala government has said that it will not withdraw the program, saying that “religion should not be mixed with education”.

State Education Minister V Shivkutty told the BBC, “Those who are protesting are proving themselves more dangerous than the problem of any medicine.”

Shivkutty said that although schools have been asked to introduce Zumba in the syllabus, classes will still be optional for students.

“It’s not that we are forcing anyone – you can always get out if you want,” he said.

The protests first began when the Kerala government last month introduced a group of measures to combat the growing use of drugs among school students.

These include increased monitoring around the campus, new awareness campaigns and rehabilitation programs for students as well as Zumba lessons along with rehabilitation programs.

Under the guidelines, all state -run schools have been asked to hire trained Zumba trainers to organize daily sessions for students.

The curriculum and its programs, he said, should be designed keeping in mind the convenience of both students and teachers.

The move was deeply opposed by an influential organization of an influential organization of Muslim clerics in the state, an influential organization, Seamtha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema.

Group spokesperson Nasar Faizi Jumpthai told the BBC that boys and girls dancing together, which they had described as “porn” dresses were unacceptable.

“Zumba refutes Indian moral values ​​because it requires students to wear tight clothes and dance together. It should not be accepted,” he said.

The Indian Vichara Candram, a right -wing organization that describes itself as a group ,Hindu intellectuals “, echoed this scene.

In a statement earlier this week, the director of the organization, R. Sanjay, called Zumba “foreign” imports and said it was “malicious” to apply it to students in the name of combating the use of the drug.

He said, “There are reverse objectives behind the government promoting foreign cultural exports such as Zumba, which has not made any effort to enrich or protect our traditions,” he said, parents and students should oppose the rule as it goes “against the uniqueness of the country”.

The government has rejected all the allegations.

“The idea is to encourage students to start a new fitness trip for a healthy lifestyle – nothing,” Shivkutty said.

In addition, guidelines make it clear that students have to wear their school uniforms during sessions, leaving no scope for “unfair dressing”, he said.

“In schools, light exercise is always encouraged and children always wear uniforms for these sessions.”

The sole purpose of the government, he said, to encourage healthy habits in children.

“Being engaged in sports promotes mental and physical vitality, health and positive thinking in children, which can increase their educational performance and personal development.”

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