Issue no: 06
denied their right to freedom of artistic
creativity and expression, and their possible
contribution to the sustainment of the
country's being by virtue of going to schools
that are subject to inadequate resources
provision and training of teachers who are
specialised in the arts, restrictive
environment, as well as learning
programmes that promote other subjects
and restricts the arts in public schools.
The importance of promotion of the
arts in schools
The marginalisation of the arts in black
community public schools continues to be
an issue in our societies. Although over
shadowed by the on-going preaching of the
importance of math and science in schools,
the arts still have a very importance and vital
role in the performance of the learners in
schools. They are an integral part of every
person, whether they would like to admit it or
not. This is asserted by many existing
studies that emphasize the importance of
the arts in schools. Disciplines such as
music, dance, theatre and visual arts are
integral to the society. In a country as
diverse as South Africa, the arts serve as an
essential bridge across language and
cultural heritage. They become a link
through which we can learn and appreciate
each other's ways and contributes to the
shaping of our understanding of each other.
As such, it is important to emphasize that the
arts act as a motor that exposes our different
cultures to each other, and they should not
be learned through occasional exposure but
through consistency. Schools are a haven
for children from different backgrounds and
cultures, and as such, the arts must be
www.megaartists.co.za
promoted and encouraged to help forge
relationships between the learners, and
they must form part of the school curriculum
as much as math and science does.
Enough research exists to overwhelmingly
support the fact that participation and study
of the arts is a vital component in improving
learning throughout all academic activities,
can develop better team players, ignite a
love for learning, and also enhance learner
creativity. An effective arts education helps
learners stretch their minds beyond looking
at a play, listening to music and even
reading something written on a piece of
paper. The need for schools to promote and
have access to adequate resources to
better deliver arts education should be
stressed and acted upon.
The arts, entrepreneurship and
development
One of the most cited reasons for the sidelining of the arts is that it is commonly
perceived, and that is as a result from those
who are not well equipped with information
about the benefits of the arts, that anyone
who pursues the arts as a career is taking a
risk of possibly being unemployed in the
future. Teachers and the society in general,
do not encourage the artistic mind-set and
arts persuasion because they believe being
an artist can have unpredictable
consequences when it comes to
employment in the long run. What they fail to
realise is that being an artist goes hand in
hand with being an entrepreneur. It is all
about innovation and selling the product and
then being able to put food on the table,
while on the other hand possibly being able
to employ others.
Nov-Dec 2015
Page 16