New Delhi: High school students will soon have the option to stay away from classes for short spells and do painting, learn pottery and pick up the fine nuances of natural fibre weaving as part of efforts of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to revive dying Indian crafts.
In line with the National Curriculum Framework (NFC), the NCERT and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have decided to introduce a subject on Indian crafts in Classes 11 and 12 from the next academic session.
"The 100 mark paper can be opted for by students of science, commerce and arts streams. The aim is to create a brigade which will help the revival of dying Indian handicrafts," said Jyotsna Tiwari, a lecturer in the NCERT's Department of Education in Arts and Aesthetics (DEAA).
"We are preparing the text of the subject and, hopefully, it will be available in the market by March 2008. We are in touch with several experts in the field of arts and aesthetics," Tiwari said.
She said the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, had given the NCERT a data sheet on dying Indian handicrafts and helping to formulate the curriculum.
The subject received the approval of the National Monitoring Committee Sep 25. It would include handicraft forms like Tanjore paintings of Tamil Nadu and Chunar pottery of Uttar Pradesh.
The subject will be mostly practical oriented. Out of 100 marks, 60 marks are for practical work and 40 marks for theory.
"The theory part will consist of philosophy and aesthetics, social structure, economy and marketing of handicrafts, environmental and resource management. It will also give international examples on handicrafts revival and it's marketing," said Sunil Kumar, a reader in DEAA.
The subject will have chapters on craft tradition, clay, stonework, metal crafts, jewellery, natural fibre weaving like grass and bamboo, jute and cane work, textile crafts, paintings and leather crafts.
Authorities said that every chapter would have maps, case studies, illustrations and anecdotes. Schools will be instructed to have multi-media programmes for the better understanding of the subject.
Elaborating on the subject, Kumar said: "This will also introduce Indian culture through the crafts so that school students appreciate the variety of skills and expressions of the Indian artist.
"It will also develop respect for the diversity of Indian craft traditions and uphold the dignity of its practitioners. The subject will equip students with the tools to extend craft traditions to wider applications through applied crafts," he said.
NCERT officials said initially they are thinking of introducing the course in 100 CBSE schools across the country.
"This is a vocational subject and we hope students will love it like hot cakes. Though we are planning for 100 schools in the first year, it may be stretched up to 1,000 schools if the CBSE and the NCERT get some favourable response," he added.
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