Lok Sabha Question No. 2416 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-18
Subject: Steps taken by the Government to Preserve and Propagate Rich Heritage of Different Arts
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2416 ANSWERED ON 18.12.2023

## Steps taken by the Government to Preserve and Propagate Rich Heritage of Different Arts

## 2416. Shri Shriniwas Patil:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has conducted any study about the lesser emphasis and time being given for drawing, art, craft, music and sports at school level education;

- (b) if so, the details thereof; and

(c) the steps taken by Government to preserve and propagate rich heritage of various art forms including music, dance, drama and sports through school education?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION ( SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI )

(a)  to  (c) The  National  Education  Policy  (NEP)  2020  lays  emphasis  on  to  preserve  and propagate rich heritage of various art forms including music, dance, drama and sports through school education, so much so that there is a separate chapter in the 66-page document of NEP (Chapter  22)  on  'Promotion  of  Indian  Languages,  Arts  and  Culture'.  The  Chapter  has elaborated on the road ahead for schools to integrate arts, crafts and culture from the beginning of school education. The National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023 has given equal  status  to  drawing,  art,  craft,  music  and  sports,  as  it  has  been  given  to  science,  arts, commerce  etc.  The  National  Council  of  Educational  Research  and  Training  (NCERT)  is committed to working in the area of Arts Education and its promotion in school education and based on the NEP 2020's principles and recommendations, developed a lot of textual materials for students, teachers and teacher educators including e-content.

NCERT organized a National Seminar on 'Status of Arts Education in India: Practices, Issues and Challenges' in 2018 to document the status and implementation of arts education. The  representatives  of  various  States  (Assam,  Tamil  Nadu,  Gujarat,  Madhya  Pradesh, Rajasthan,  Mizoram,  Meghalaya,  Maharashtra,  Uttarakhand,  Chhattisgarh,  Haryana,  West Bengal),  KVS,  NVS,  CBSE  and  RIE  gave  presentations  highlighting  the  practices  of  Arts Education in their respective systems.

Kala  Utsav is  an  initiative  of  the  Department  of  School  Education  and  Literacy, Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India (GoI), which was launched in 2015, to promote arts in education, by nurturing and showcasing the artistic talent of school students in the country. The design of Kala Utsav helps the students explore, understand and showcase their artistic talent of practicing different performing and visual art forms. This event gives students the opportunity to understand and celebrate cultural diversity at the School, District, State and National level.

Realizing the need for holistic development of children, a dedicated component named 'Sports  &  Physical  education'  under  Samagra  Shiksha  is  being  implemented.  National Education  Policy  (NEP),  2020  also  lays  special  emphasis  on  sports,  not  just  as  an  extracurricular activity, but as an integral part of holistic development for every individual. The policy envisages sports as a part of the curriculum and emphasises on sports-integrated learning as well as adopting fitness as a lifelong attitude.

This Department  issued Guidelines for Sports Grant under  Samagra  Shiksha (https://samagra.education.gov.in/docs/Sports%20Guidelines.pdf)  in  December,  2018  and further,  this  Department  revised  the  same  and  issued  the  Guidelines  incorporating  the recommendation of NEP, 2020 (https://samagra.education.gov.in/docs/revised\_samagra\_sports.pdf) in August, 2023.

With a view to achieving the twin objectives of mass participation and promotion of excellence  in  sports,  the  Government  of  India  launched  Khelo  India  Programme  for  the development of sports in the country in the year 2018 to improve the sports culture. In addition, with a view to make fitness an integral part of daily lives, FIT INDIA Movement was launched by Hon'ble Prime Minister on the occasion of National Sports Day in 2019. To incorporate these schemes in the school curriculum, this Department has circulated the advisories/suggestions/recommendations  to  the  States/UTs/Autonomous  Bodies  at  regular intervals.

*****