Artists call for review of art curriculum in schools

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) has called for a review of the Nigerian Policy on Education as regards the teaching and learning of art.

The chapter’s Chairman, Chike Emembo, who led other members to the Junior Secondary School Nyanya during the group’s effort on encouraging and empowering young artists under its Future Artist 2.0 campaign, said art curriculum in Nigerian schools has been watered with other things thereby affecting the proper teaching and learning of the subject.

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“The curriculum is not as wholesome as it was in the past; it has been adjusted giving obvious reasons,” he said, adding that government should make the teaching of art competitive to encourage more teachers.

He said poor remuneration of art teachers discourage qualified teachers from the classes, “Competent teachers to teach art is also a problem and just as many sectors, because art is a lucrative business you will find people that have studied Art Education preferring to ply their craft on the commercial side instead of the classroom because the take-home for teachers is very poor,” he said.

“Every secondary school should have an art studio but you will see that in Nigeria, it is only a few schools that have a proper art studio. An art studio is a creative space where students can practice their arts. It is a space that you enter and your creative juices will start to flow but most schools right now don’t have that,” he said.

Emembo said members of the association are concerned about the future of the younger generation and the sustainability of the profession hence their decision to visit schools for live artistic demonstrations to encourage students on the need to see a future in art.

He said the group also delivered a career talk and donated art supplies to the students to enhance their practice.

“What we are doing would culminate into something bigger in the future but this at the moment is our little contribution amongst ourselves to encourage the students and let them know the opportunities available in arts,” he said.