Not long ago, when a young Falak Aftab was asked to create a painting from her imagination, she filled the page of her notebook with black colour. Falak told her teacher that she had nothing but a ‘dark’ life in her mind.
“She used to stay alone. Whenever we tried to talk to her, she would remain silent. One day I asked her why she had coloured the page black. She said black colour represented the darkness she felt at home. She could not think of any better colour to explain it,” said Firdous-ul-Nisa, a teacher at a government high school in Shirmal, Jammu and Kashmir. Shopian district,
Nisa is one of the master trainers. Arts-based Capacity Building and Training (ACBT) project initiated by the Union Territory administration. After a six-month training programme, 112 such master trainers from 20 districts of the Union Territory became well-equipped to implement art-based interventions in their government schools.
These interventions provided a platform for self-exploration and expression, and empowered struggling students. Jammu and Kashmir So that they can deal with the challenges that come their way.
The impact of the long-running conflict Jammu and Kashmir The mental health of students has been significantly affected. Keeping this in mind, the UT’s Directorate of School Education, in collaboration with non-profit Piramal Foundation and Red Pencil International, launched a pilot ACBT project. The project aims to create a cadre of master trainers among teachers who will implement art-based interventions in schools and serve as resource persons to train other teachers.
Tassaduq Hussain Mir, Director of School Education, Kashmir, said, “For the last seven years, we have been partnering with the Piramal Foundation on initiatives like art therapy and aesthetic literacy in Jammu and Kashmir. Our aim is to strengthen the skills of teachers and equip our children with the necessary 21st century competencies.”
In parallel, 60 master trainers will impart their teachings to more than 1,000 teachers across all 10 districts of Kashmir. Last week, the Chief Education Officer (CEO) of Ganderbal conducted a beauty teacher training program across all areas of the district in collaboration with the Piramal Foundation. The master trainers covered the following principles National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was discussed in the training sessions.
There is a special emphasis on arts-based education in NEP 2020. The NEP document states, “Arts integration is a cross-curricular pedagogical approach that uses various aspects and forms of arts and culture as the basis for learning concepts in various subjects.”
Nazir Ahmad Wani, another master trainer at Government Secondary School, Kelar in Shopian district, said, South Kashmirsaid the trauma experienced by communities in the long-running conflict requires a holistic educational approach that prioritises emotional healing.
“You can’t just be a normal teacher. You have to show empathy. And that can only be done through art-based education,” said Nazir Wani.
Following the success of the pilot project, an aesthetic literacy project, which uses an arts-based curriculum to build the emotional well-being of learners, was specifically launched. KashmirCurrently, 60 teachers of ACBT Group are leading this program in 60 schools in Kashmir.
“With aesthetic literacy, we strive to build sensitivities around emotions and sensations, so that children are able to engage with the world, practice art languages, and build relationships with self and the world. Some of the key areas of focus are 21st century skills – future preparedness, social and emotional learning, gender sensitivity and inclusion,” said Zeeshan Hassan, Senior Programme Director, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Piramal Foundation.
Under the guidance of her teacher Nisa, Falak Aftab has thrived in her regular studies as well as the school’s special art-based curriculum. “Later during conversations, we realised that Falak’s family had domestic issues. Gradually, she started making paintings about whatever was on her mind. When Falak came to us, she was in Class 8. Today, she is in Class 12 and is an outspoken girl full of confidence,” said proud teacher Nisa.
(Student’s name has been changed due to privacy concerns)
