School boards across India are considering adopting an initiative to include stamp-themed lessons in the curriculum.
Officials with India Post, the country’s national postal service, are advocating for philately as a subject – or vehicle – of study to increase the hobby’s visibility among students.
“We are striving to reach out to potential philatelists,” Vishva Pavan Pati, India Post director-general, said at the recent “Karnapex” state-level exhibition hosted by the Karnataka Postal Circle this October.
A scholarship promoting “aptitude and research” in stamps began three years ago in India and has introduced more than half of the country’s students to philately while offering up to 6,000 rupees (about $110 Cdn.) for related projects.
India is divided into 23 postal circles, where more than 155,000 post offices comprise the world’s most widely distributed postal network.