NCERT has developed a new theatre syllabus for schools

Acting principle

Kirti Jain / New Delhi August 24, 2008

NCERT has developed a new theatre syllabus for schools.

As children we have all secretly desired to be on stage, playing an important role. But what would it be like if theatre was taught in schools as a regular subject that would also be examined?

Well, NCERT has worked out a detailed syllabus that schools can opt for if they want to introduce theatre, and CBSE is on the way to adopting it.

This is a very exciting prospect and has come about through the persistent efforts of theatre activists and educationists who hold strong views on the pedagogical importance of this input. This was long overdue because although most schools had introduced painting, music and dance as extracurricular subjects, theatre was missed out for some mysterious reason. Now, all are being introduced as essential or optional subjects.

We all talk about the great potential of theatre as a fun way of learning, and the subject should be fun for children. They should be able to live the characters they are studying about; to visualise otherwise abstract scientific principles; feel a greater sense of participation in the learning process; and get to know and relate to people and life around them in a more intimate manner. If they also do performances, they will experience the excitement of getting onto a stage in colourful costumes in front of a large and appreciative audience. Yes, all this would be a win-win impact.

But what if the teacher is not imaginative enough, or trained enough, to use creative methods of introducing the subject? What if theatre gets reduced to learning some acting theory, or doing some repetitive improvisations, or to performances in which the teacher is busy trying to prove his credentials as a director/actor, or the school to showcase its artistic inclination?

We all know how art classes have often been ruined by teachers nipping imagination in the bud by firing students for painting purple trees and orange seas. In other words, for not conforming. Theatre is meant to break barriers, to encourage questioning and experimentation, the trying of new things and the celebration of differences. What will be the fate of theatre in the hands of a teacher who gets upset if students start having fun, if they start questioning, if they do not respond in uniformity? So, this step does require a great deal of caution.

The other part of the debate is whether this should be a subject that is examined. Examinations are advocated for the obvious reason that, in the school system, a subject that is not linked to marks will not be taken seriously either by the school or the students. On the other hand, examinations and assessments have the danger of creating uniformity in the name of objectivity.

This would contradict the very spirit of theatre. In any case, marking or even grading a creative process is always a tough call. How will schoolteachers, part of this huge machinery that is our education system, deal with this challenge? Apart from these concerns there is the worrying sense that exams will take away the fun from theatre.

Recently, at a seminar held in Kolkata about the merits of introducing theatre in schools, teachers from district schools raised all these and many more basic questions. How are the teachers supposed to deal with this subject when their school has only one or two teachers for the whole school?

When the present syllabus is difficult to cover, how will these new inputs get handled in the same time? Will any training be given to teachers, countrywide, to handle theatre teaching, and who will give this training? How many years will it take to train teachers in all the schools? Will teachers in less privileged schools get any additional funds for theatre activities if they do have the interest and talent to impart this training?

With no clear answers to all these questions available right now, one hopes that the problems will be solved as they are encountered, and that government and village schools will also be able to provide their students with the advantages of this discipline.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com