adminArts Focus, Raisedon Baya
Last week the focus on this column was arts education and how the proposed introduction of arts education in the Zimbabwean education system was a welcome development. We expressed our excitement about the formalisation of arts education in this country — this is something we have always advocated as artistes. We are happy that our dream is becoming real.
Last week we looked at how the arts are both a manifestation of culture as well as the means of communication of cultural knowledge and how awareness and knowledge of cultural practices and art forms can strengthen personal and collective identities and values. This we gave as one good reason why we should all welcome the introduction of arts education in our schools. In all honesty arts education enables children to develop perspectives which cannot be discovered through other educational means. Perspectives and, perhaps, skills they definitely need to survive in this ever changing world.
And this week we ask one or two important questions about the coming of proper arts education in our schools. The first of these questions concerns our readiness to implement the proposed programme. Are we, as a country, really ready for the introduction of arts education in our schools? We ask this question because we are very aware that there is a big difference between wanting to do something and actually doing it. There is also a difference between doing something for the sake of being seen to be doing something and doing something right and proper. Are our schools ready to implement arts education?
Remember there are a lot of school heads that have a serious attitude towards the arts. Have these been sensitised about the importance of the arts? Answers to this question should be very interesting.
We are just a couple of months from 2017, the year we have been told is the year in which the introduction of arts education is set. Two months to be exact. But are we ready? Are all systems in place? Do we have the proper and relevant materials to teach arts in schools? Here we refer to general textbooks and other resources books in the different arts fields — books that will give direction to the learning. We say this because we are aware that arts teachers and other facilitators must have adequate and relevant teaching material. Remember creative learning needs creative teaching. And do we have the right personnel to teach arts education? We refer to proper, trained and qualified art teachers? And do we have the right spaces or classrooms for arts educations? We ask these questions because we strongly believe that a good idea wrongly implemented will come out wrong as the intended results might not be achieved. Will 2017 see the full implementation of the program or just a pilot?
Our second question today is linked to the opportunities that will be there after one has gone through years of arts education.
What incentives do we have to persuade parents (who we already know have a negative perspective on arts in general) and students to take the studies of arts seriously? We strongly believe that once Arts Education is introduced in schools our own Government needs to start investing heavily into the arts so that once students graduate they are able to find opportunities related to what they will have studied in their country. And these opportunities can only come if our Government started being heavily involved in the promotion and development of the arts industry. As we write there is really nothing to write home about in terms of real opportunities in the arts. When parents and even students ask about careers in the arts what will we tell them? The question of careers in the arts is one that we must always be able to answer if ever we are to convince parents and students to take the teaching of arts seriously in our schools.
Online Reporter