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INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY'09

Seminar on inclusion of dance in primary curriculum

JAMIL MAHMUD
As part of the International Dance Day '09 celebration, organised by Bangladesh Nritya Shilpi Sangstha (BNSS), a seminar on the necessity of including dance in primary curriculum was held at the Seminar Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy yesterday. Professor Afsar Ahmed, Department of Drama and Dramatics, Jahangirnagar University, presented the keynote paper titled "Prathomik Shikkha Curriculum-e Nrityakala Shikkha Jaruri Keno?" at the seminar. Noted dance artistes and cultural personalities spoke on the topic.
Professor Ahmed's paper pointed on several integral aspects of primary education system in our country that are a must learn for children. He emphasised that learning should start with curiosity and wonder and not monotony. "If it doesn't then it will never create an impact on the minds of children, and they won't flourish to their full potential," Ahmed said at the seminar.
According to Professor Ahmed's paper, "Growing up to become a secular and culturally oriented individual, dance, along with other art forms like music, theatre and fine arts, are must learn for children and this education would create a sense of responsibility in them, enabling them to become the successors of an opulent cultural heritage."
It is often said that dance in our country does not have a rich past and as a subject of modern education system, dance is not so important. But Ahmed opposed the idea and pointed that dance is not only a medium of entertainment but rather there are many educational aspects of the art form.
Professor Ahmed referred to medieval works -- Ramai Pandit's "Shunyo Puran" and Jaidev's "Geet Govinda", and said that our predecessors enacted different aspects of agrarian life • through dance andother art forms.
In our recent past, immediately after annual examination, many primary schools across the country used to evaluate students' craftsmanship through homework on pottery, woodwork etc. Though that practice has reduced significantly at present, and those were part of an additional subject of the primary curriculum, they helped in grooming children's latent talent.
In his paper, Professor Ahmed argued that dance should be included as a core subject in the education system rather than an additional subject.
In this regard he also emphasised on generating awareness on dance and said that mass communication is necessary to achieve that goal.
Noted dance artistes Laila Hasan, Rahiza Khanam Jhunu and Munmun Ahmed; human rights activist Sultana Kamal, Nazrul artiste and journalist Sadya Afreen Mallick, folk researcher Simon Zakaria and dance researcher Shaikh Mehedi Hasan discussed on the topic.
In her speech Sultana Kamal said, nAs a human rights activist, I dream of a secular country. Dance, as an art form related to different aspects of life, can be a powerful medium to disseminate the message of secularism. In our perspective, the idea of inclusion of dance in primary education is bold and progressive."
Sadya Afreen Mallick stressed on learning with wonder and curiosity that can fortify contemporary education system for children. She pointed out that the inclusion of dance in primary level would be helpful to counter the so-called "cultural invasion." "Growing up, we learnt to dance and sing from mentors like Dr. Sanjida Khatun, Waheedul Haque, Sheikh Luthfur Rahman, Abdul Ahad and others, who instilled patriotism in us through the arts, " said Mallick.
Simon Zakaria spoke on the different folk elements that are enacted through dance.
Minu Haque, vice president of BNSS, was the moderator of the seminar.