Nobody can dispute the fact that children learn the quickest. Their inquisitive minds explore and question the world around them; they are flexible and eager to be engaged. As they grow, they bring with them the skills, knowledge and ideas that they absorbed at an early age.
This treasure of knowledge and ideas are then transmitted to others they meet and, later, to their own children.
This is precisely what the Amaravathi Museum Education Centre, which has come up in the first floor of the Amaravathi Heritage Centre and Museum as an integral part of the existing structure, aims at.
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The Amaravathi Museum Education Centre, first of its kind in south India, will invest in early education as a powerful tool to usher in a positive change in future.
Partnership project
“It’s a partnership project between Amaravathi Heritage Centre and Museum and the local Mandal Education Office. We have roped in a good number of teachers from primary, secondary and special needs’ schools to transform the museum into a resource centre of learning for school children and designed the curriculum for next two weeks. It is an ‘a.m. and p.m.’ school where children will come before and after the school hours to learn all about the importance of cultural heritage and diversity.
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“Through this project, we intend to raise awareness about heritage among children and also through the children,” says Amareswar Galla, Curator, Amaravathi Heritage Town and International Heritage Advisor to the Andhra Pradesh Government.
Direct involvement
“To make children understand that heritage is not just about monuments, we need to invest time, skills and resources for a participatory approach to heritage,” he says. The project is designed to ensure direct and active involvement of students, parents and teachers in the activities taken up by the Heritage Education Centre.
Students and teachers of 56 Government schools and 20 private institutions in Amaravathi will be part of this new mode of learning under the supervision of the local MEO Indira Rani.
“There is an urgency to equip the younger generation with tools that can help protect our endangered living heritage. Through such means, we want to develop Amaravathi as a role model,” said Prof. Galla, who is accredited by UNESCO as an international technical expert on heritage.