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Art students up in arms against Minister’s statement

BHUBANESWAR: The artists’ fraternity and art students of the State are up in arms following a statement of the School and Mass Education Minister Sanjib Kumar Sahoo that art education is not included in the syllabus of the primary and secondary schools and the prevalent yardstick does not require any appointment of art teachers in schools.

The Minister tabled the answer in the State Legislative Assembly on August 28 last in response to question number UD-1181 made by Pallahara legislator Nrusimha Sahoo. Dr. Sahoo wanted to know why the government has stopped recruitment of art teachers for schools since 1982 while art education has been a subject in school curriculum.

The Minister’s “misleading statement in the House” has sparked off large-scale resentment among the artists of the State and it is likely to snowball into a State-level agitation soon, warned Orissa Art Education Students Association (OAESA) secretary Debi Prasad Das.

“A delegation of our Association met the Minister on June 11 with a memorandum demanding posting of art teachers in schools.

He listened to us and assured that he would do his best. We are shocked and surprised with his statement in the Assembly”, added Das.

Queries made by this newspaper confirmed that drawing has been a compulsory subject in primary schools and students of seventh standard are asked to sit for an examination in drawing amounting to 50 marks. Similarly, the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) of Orissa that comes under the Minister’s department has the provision of visual art as a subject of test in the High School Certificate examination, revealed papers available with The Hindu.

Besides OAESA, the Orissa Art Education Foundation (OAEF) has also expressed its deep resentment over the Minister’s answer.

“While several legislators of the State including Bikram Keshari Barma have taken up the cause of art education in the State and have appealed to the Chief Minister to consider our demand for posting of art education in the schools, the Minister’s response has hurt us,” stated Foundation working president and former Orissa Sahitya Akademi secretary Indu Bhusan Kar. It’s ridiculous that schools in Orissa being run by the government do not have art teachers and yet BSE conducts examination in the subject, he added.

Both the umbrella organisations for promotion of art education – OAESA and OAEF – had an urgent meeting in the Capital this week to intensify their stir.

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