Hyderabad, 12th December, 2022: A survey conducted by Silica Institute across schools in Maharashtra came with interesting findings. The survey, which saw participation from almost 100 Principals, Directors, Head Mistresses, and more from top authorities of Schools, explored the importance of Art in Secondary & High School Education. While the set of questions and answers remains broad, the primary conclusion observed, was that the Art integration in school syllabus for students from 7th to 12th can benefit their academic growth and vastly improve their analytical and thinking skills.
The discussion around Art Integrated Education picked up pace since it was made a part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 by the Government of India. The Indian school pedagogy which has been outdated for years now finally saw some reformative ideas through NEP 2020. Though the implementation of these ideas is still underway, it does make room for discussion around unorthodox approaches toward education. Art, which has been merely an ornamental subject for school students all over the years, finally got the recognition it deserved. Educational Professionals and Parents as well have indulged in similar discussions. The survey aimed towards strengthening these conversations by recording the responses of professionals.
While the survey recorded the answers to pre-drafted questions, it also encouraged the participants to add their suggestions. The question, ‘Whether Art skills & Art Integration are important for core subjects like Physics, Geometry, Languages, etc. are of vital importance, not just received a completely positive response from survey participants, the 2/3rd of participants even strongly agreed it. A Principal from a reputed school in Kandivali Mumbai, who was a participant in the survey, stated in their statement, that Design Thinking can help students enhance their ability to think logically. Multiple participants added statements suggesting a similar idea.
The participants also largely agreed on the fact that the assessment and development of 21st-century skills and life skills are as important as formal subject knowledge, and expressed their positivity towards the statement that ‘It is important to provide students with an assessment of their skills, interests, areas for improvement and career’.
Art and design studies at a young age can help students become better at analytical thinking and logical approach and also improve their ability to communicate. The findings of the survey proved to be beneficial to understand the stand of educational professionals concerning art integration in schools, and will potentially encourage parents to understand the importance of the same.
