The New Education Policy 2020 has given a fillip to the field of music and performing arts besides enabling a curriculum framework for academic studies in educational institutions.
This was opined by the speakers at a workshop on NEP 2020 organised by Karnataka State Dr. Gangubhai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University, here on Tuesday.
Nagesh V. Bettakote, Vice-Chancellor of the varsity, said NEP was a major step forward in providing a course curriculum and an academic framework for students of music and performing arts. He said though classical dance and music was part of the cultural fabric of society, no efforts were made for their systematic propagation and study so far. It was left to the interested students to pursue the art form through the traditional system of learning from gurus which has helped keep the culture alive.
Welcoming the NEP he said the direct fallout will be the myriad opportunities which will be thrown open for students of music and performing arts. “Earlier, they used to render songs or perform in functions while a few evolved to present concerts. But now they also have opportunities to be employed as resource persons in schools and colleges.’ He pointed out that the NEP has made it mandatory to offer courses and electives in music and performing arts at various levels of education and this will be a gamechanger for students of music and other forms of performing arts.
In Karnataka, there are 16,000 schools and 800 colleges where the courses will have to be offered besides in about 25 universities. But none of the educational institutions were in a position to create a framework for studies and the onus was on universities such as the KSGH Music and Performing Arts University to cater to their requirements. “We have to not only churn out musicians but also scholars who will be the resource persons required to handle the course curriculum in future.”
The varsity has already prepared the curriculum framework for implementation under the NEP and this will help in generating qualified resource persons in the field of music and dance, said Prof. Bettakote.
K. Ramakrishnaiah from the Department of Drama, Bangalore University, and one of the Curriculum Committee members for music and performing arts said directives have been issued to prepare course curriculum for Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Kathakali in the field of dance and Hindustani and Carnatic - both vocal and instrumental – in the field of music. Hence the task before the committee was immense, he said.
The speakers resolved to convince the government to make music and performing arts mandatory in all educational institutions and averred that cultural activities were imperative for the overall health of the country.
The two-day workshop is being attended by curriculum committee members drawn from different parts of the State.
