In new NCERT syllabus, art gets mainstream

The Government Boys Senior Secondary School in Trilokpuri has neither running water nor classroom fans-music and drama classes are far down the line. While the picture of arts education is brighter at resource-rich private schools, even here the time and space afforded to arts is a pale glimmer of that marked for mainstream subjects. That is set to change.

The new syllabi from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), for Classes1-10,which will be circulated later this year, will upgrade arts education-theatre, music, dance and the visual arts from extra-curricular pastimes to subjects squarely positioned in the school curriculum.

"Students aren't given a chance to explore creativity in our education system," says classical singer Shubha Mudgal, who chaired the focus groups for art education while developing the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005. "And when they are, it's in limited bursts for annual days or the celebration of Independence." Chand Singh Bijiyan, principal of Government Boys Senior Secondary School in East of Kailash, puts this down to disinterest: "Government school students usually wish to take up science, or commerce streams, to find jobs.

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Maharashtra Minister' s words of wisdom: ' How can mothers, daughters watch this?'

A Day after they forced the state government to put on hold its decision to introduce sex education in schools, Maharashtra's moral police brigade struck again on Thursday, raising not just the red flag against cheerleaders at IPL matches in the state but also the prospect of a ban against them.

Foreign cheerleaders as well as dancers from local troupes performed at the first IPL match in the state at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium last Sunday and they are set to perform again at the second match to be played at the D Y Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on April 27.

But if Minister of State for Home Siddharam Mhetre has his way, IPL organisers are expected to only get conditional permission to hold the match and restrictions could be imposed on cheerleaders. Mhetre said he would consult the Central government before granting permission.

The issue was first raised in the state legislative council on Wednesday by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari. The Congress NCP government, he said, should ban semi-naked women dancing in stadiums just like it had banned dance bars in 2005.

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