Make art education must for students, schools told

Ajay joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 22

In a recent circular issued to schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the board has asked the schools to make ‘Art Education’, a mandatory subject for the students of Class I to Class II.

The teachers have applauded the decision of the CBSE.

Welcoming the advisory notification, KS Randhawa, principal, MGN Public School, who is also a CBSE resource person said: “Art, integrated with education, will help in enhancing the knowledge of the subjects and students will understand the subjects taught through the integrated art.”

Notably, the term ‘Integrated Art’ include activities like music, theatre, drawing, visual arts and dance. The fun learning concept has been added to the curriculum from this academic session and the schools have been recommended to keep at least two periods for art education per week.

Through the integrated arts technique the schools will now have to pay special attention on learning rather than teaching.

Elaborating on the initiative taken by the board, Randhawa said: “Through the Integrated Art concept, the understanding of a particular topic will not be confined to teaching only. But various performing arts can also be introduced to make the learning process easier.

“For instance, the geometrical diagrams and calculations can be taught to the students with the help of art and crafts. The students can also be made interactive in the class by performing acts on complex topics,” he added.

Teachers quoted that integrated art learning also enhanced experiential learning, as it enables the students to derive meaning and understanding directly from the learning experience.

Randhawa said: “The board has linked every subject with art and have also issued a book to enable teachers to understand what kind of activities can be associated with different topics. The copies of the same have been issued to the teachers and the HoD’s concerned will implement it soon,”

Culinary art for Classes VI to VIII

The board has also directed schools to introduce culinary skills of the students. Cooking classes will be conducted for the students. Unlike the girls, boys can also participate in the same, as recommended by the CBSE. The idea behind introducing the culinary art is to make students aware about the nutritious food.