Kalinga Literary festival organised 3rd KLF Bhava Samvad on theme Art Education Pre & Post Covid – 19 Pandemic 2020′
Bhubaneswar: Kalinga Literary festival Bhava Samvad an interactive webinar and panel discussion was held by the Kalinga Literary festival. The panel consisted of eminent personalities from the art fraternity. The panel comprised of Mr. Prem Singh, Former Principal, Government College of Art , Chandigarh , Professor Tirthankar Bhattacharya chairperson department of art history and visual arts Pu, Chandigarh, Pratul Das, Eminent Artist and Activist, New Delhi and Prof. Ranjan Kumar Mallik, Dean, Chitkara School of Art & Design, Chitkara University, Punjab. The topic of deliberation was ” Art Education Pre & Post Covid – 19 Pandemic 2020.”
The panel of experts deliberated on the urgent need to revamp the teaching pedagogy. The virtual classroom teaching being a new concept, the teacher student relationship would also go through a metamorphosis. Fine arts being a practical oriented subject, it becomes even more pertinent to structure the syllabus according to the new normal situation of teaching learning through physical distancing .
Dr. Tirthankar Bhattacharya pointed out that syllabus should be urgently restructured so that the interest elements of the students be retained towards the subject. He further stressed that the subject needs to sustain its credibility and make the subject relevant for the students specifically for future job prospects. Mr. Prem singh stressed the need to understand that fine arts is not just theoretical teaching but a way of life and thought. Mr. Pratul Das emphasized on the creative side of art education and the need to restructure the education system which was more user friendly and in sync with the online programs. Prof. Ranjan moderated the session and opined that as teachers we need to all unite in this time of crisis. He was pleased to see an optimistic approach of the academic community towards the future.
The session ended with a bite of thanks by the organizers with the hope to meet up again to formulate a strategy for future initiatives.
Prof. Prem Singh on ‘Art Education: Pre and Post Covid 19 Pandemic’ said that “We have to learn in context of the situation. It is way more important to reinvent ourselves. Art is a free spirit. This online system should be available and accessible to everyone. Even after independence, the education system was purely in British format that resulted in Art Education emitting the gaps inbetween a teacher and student. Virtual education is possible if the syllabus is made in new way with new techniques”.
Pratul Dash on ‘Art Education: Pre and Post Covid 19 Pandemic’ said that An art teacher can’t teach students virtually as every student has their own ability and their own way to learn. Teachers have to prepare themselves in such a way to make learning comfortable for the student. Its difficult for a teacher to make student learn digitally.