Select schools to get theatre art teachers

MARGAO: In compliance with the State Cultural Policy, 2007, the directorate of art and culture will place trained theatre art teachers at select aided schools in various parts of the state from the current academic year.
Assistant director Ashok V Parab told TOI on Thursday that about 11 teachers have already been appointed by the department for the purpose."About five theatre art teachers have already joined schools, while the process to post the remaining is currently under way," said Parab.
He added that since it is presently not feasible to recruit theatre art teachers in all schools, the directorate has selected a few institutions which have demonstrated interest in the initiative.
"However the selected schools are from all talukas. The teachers will impart training to students of the selected school for a period of three years after which they will join another school in the same taluka in a bid to cover most schools," he added.
The aim is to impart education in theatrical form to students for a better understanding of the routine academic teachings and also to create a passion for theatre in schools, said Parab.
The directorate has already introduced music classes from last year in 125 aided schools. Plans to promote children's theatre from the current academic year are also in the offing. "However the directorate is yet to work on the modalities of the plan," said Parab.
Though the government through its Cultural Policy has recommended making it mandatory for school teachers to undergo sufficient training in cultural geography, cultural ecology and cultural history of Goa, the modalities are yet to be worked out, he said.
Plans to tap the potential of parent-teacher associations by allotting grants for specific cultural activities besides proposals to issue suitable guidelines and ethical codes to planning social gatherings of aided institutions are also incorporated in the cultural policy, which aims to project and utilize the culturally creative potential of students.
Thereafter, as per the policy, the government will organize children's film festivals and arrange screening of educational documentaries on culture in a bid to impart cultural education.
All educational institutions would be well equipped with books on culture, public address systems and audio visual equipments while liberal grants to schools to organize study tours to heritage monuments and museums within the state will be awarded, the policy states.
In addition, the policy also envisages the identification of underprivileged sections of the society such as slum dwellers and street children and plans to promote cultural education among them by working closely with the drawing teachers' association and other NGOs to make cultural education in the formal and non formal sectors a powerful tool for cultural renewal and empowerment.
In its scheme of things, the directorate has plans to promote hobby classes in all schools in the state, besides celebrating a cultural awareness week called Sanskritik Jagruti Saptah for students at high schools and colleges of general education.