A few government schools in the city and its suburbs have taken to teaching folk arts to students in an attempt to reduce the number of dropouts in their schools and increase admissions.
K. Suganya has been teaching the arts for free. One of the schools that has adopted the tactic is the Government Higher Secondary School, Pudhur, in T. Nagar. There are over 300 children in the school and they are taught art forms such as Parai, Silambam , Karagam and Oyilattam.
“A few years ago, we started noticing that children were not focussing and were indisciplined due to extensive phone usage and even due to the consumption of tobacco. Many used to come to school without books and some would bunk classes. However, all of them were skilled in Parai and drums, ” said I. Vennila, a commerce teacher at the school.
She got the idea of introducing folk arts at school to bring about a change in the character of the children. Through R. Kaleeswaran of Loyola College, she was introduced to K. Suganya, who knew 35 folk art forms.
“Suganya has been teaching art to the children for the past one year. There is a change in their behaviour now. Seeing our students, other government primary schools have been inspired. The children performed at the Veedhi Virudhu Vizha at Loyola College, and after interacting with diginitaries there, they have been inspired to come up in life,” Ms. Vennila said.
Ms. Suganya, a native of Tirupandurai near Kumbakonam, said that she has been teaching folk arts for the past 12 years and has learned that the art forms can create awareness about different issues. “I came to Chennai two years ago and I have been teaching in nine government schools. I teach the art for free in a few schools and the others pay the transport charges,” she said.
She said the Government School in Pattravakkam had also been using folk arts to prevent students from dropping out and to empower children with skills. “The teachers said that it also encourages parents to admit their children in their school. Besides, children are interested in dance and music, so they seldom take leaves,” she added. But folk artists like her have been struggling to make ends meet. “We are passionate about the art and want to pass it on to children,” she explained.
