Arts education will be compulsorily taught from classes I to XII in all schools affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) from this academic session. At least two periods per class will have to be reserved for this mandatory subject.
Initiatives to make learning fun
The curriculum will include music, dance, visual arts and crafts, and theatre. The schools will have to emphasise on learning rather than teaching, and the approach should be less instructive and more experimental, participatory and interactive.
The board has also said that culinary art has to be introduced to students of classes VI to VIII by establishing multi-disciplinary links across their subjects.
According to CBSE, this will help students learn the value of nutritious food, about the crops and spices that are grown in India, how oil can be extracted from seeds, and good use of agricultural practices and pesticides. “An attempt has been made to enlist traditional foods of various states, with the idea that learners must also be exposed to this aspect of our culture,” CBSE said in a statement.
Schools have also been recommended to introduce cooking classes in classes VI to VIII, where boys and girls can participate as equals, The Times Of India reported
CBSE further said that schools can always devise their own processes, provided they take care of all safety aspects and make the learning activity fun. Concerted efforts must be made by all schools to integrate art in the pedagogy and ensure that it is used as a tool to make education joyful in all classes.
There will be no exam for this subject but a process-oriented evaluation will be carried out. The basic component of all art forms that will be taught are theory, practical and project work.
Citing examples of how this subject will be important and useful, CBSE said, “For example, the routine method involving studying metallurgy in Chemistry, or mitosis and meiosis in Biology when integrated or taught through art would provoke the student to ask questions such as – If I were a metal, how would I artistically depict my journey of combination with other metals or how can I use a Nukkad Natak to depict mitosis/meiosis?”
Further, a difficult poem’s meaning can be taught by breaking a line into a dialogue spoken by James Bond or Amitabh Bachchan or set to Bollywood songs’ music.
While the burden of education is often too heavy for children to carry, this initiative could indeed prove to be a tool for making learning interesting and joyful for the little ones, and even encourage them to explore different passion and career options.
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