Art and Craft Higher Education in Pakistan - Essay Example

Art and Craft higher education in Pakistan Contents Contents 2 Introduction 3 Discussion 4 Overview of Pakistan Art and Craft Education 4 Economic Contribution of Art and Craft education towards Employment 6 Challenges faced by the art and craft higher education sector of Pakistan 7 The future outlook of art and craft higher education in Pakistan 8 Conclusion 9 References 11 Introduction Culture is an important aspect for building up the image of any country. The creative and cultural educational sectors in Pakistan are highly developed. However, an in depth review of the existing national and international level of literary works that have been prepared and presented by different researchers, scholars and academicians indicates that the presence of literary and research work in this area are limited and fragmented in nature. In the present situation, it can be found that more number of researchers and scholars have started showing interest in the area of art and craft education in Pakistan. The cultural and creative sectors of Pakistan are based on the talent and skills of the people in the country. Since, a high degree of importance is being given to the development of the cultural and creative talents in the different cities of Pakistan, therefore, of late it has been seen that the government of Pakistan is investing resources and capabilities towards the improvement of the higher education in Pakistan in the fields of art, craft and other creative and cultural disciplines. Also, a number of international organizations like the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations and UESCO are showing much interest towards developing the art and craft creativity and talent among the people in Pakistan. Much of the efforts and initiatives are taken up because it has been noted that the creative aspects of Pakistan are being globally recognized and a number of international media entities are taking acute interest in the art and craft talents displayed by the people of Pakistan. O’Connor (2010) has discussed that the development of art and craft education in Pakistan in the last five decades can be explained to be of three main types. The first phase includes art and craft as traditional creative forms along with proficiency in calligraphy and paintings. These skills are transferred from academics to apprenticeship systems. The second type of art and craft education lies in core academies. These focus on the abilities of the students to draw in the school level and the ability of design and fine art skills among college and university level students. In another form of art and craft education, these disciplines are taught to the students of Pakistan on the basis of programmes developed according to western education modules which focus on the modernised forms of art, craft and creativity and sidelines traditional art and craft as creative forms. Art and craft education is imparted to the students in the college and university level with the aim of developing existing cultural heritage and skills and also for producing talents that are accepted and competitive in the international creative and design industries. Art and craft are also embedded in the industrial perspectives of the country. As a part of this process, art and craft education is given to the professionals within the framework of discipline and module based creative education. This is a contemporary type of art and craft education that provides additional value to the higher education level of art and craft domain (O’Connor, 2010). The evolving perspectives related to culture, art and craft can be interpreted more significantly by examining the curriculums for art and craft related subjects in the higher education domains and the functions of these forms of education in the market, economy as well as the society of the country. Discussion Overview of Pakistan Art and Craft Education According to the situational analysis prepared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (2011), the education system in Pakistan can be segregated into five main levels which are primary level, middle level, high level intermediate level and university program levels (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, 2011). Art and craft are taught as major disciplines in all levels of education in the country. However, these disciplines are taken up as preferred areas of study in the high level, intermediate level and university level of education with the aim of developing talents and getting suitable employment opportunities. The art and craft education modules are embedded in the overall education sector of Pakistan because the economy of Pakistan is basically creative and contemporary in nature and these educational degrees have high prospects in the domestic and global industries. The education sector of Pakistan is built up in a conventional manner while remaining rooted to a diverse and rich heritage and while taking up significant and beneficial modern values and systems in the international education processes and systems related to art, design and craft. Pakistan can boast of a diverse and rich cultural heritage. Also, the country has multiple artistic and creative traditions. A number of art forms like visual art and craft, performing art, interactive media, audio–visual media, design services, creative services, books and press etc. exist in the Pakistani culture. As identified from the publications of the Ministry of Finance of Pakistan (2013), the contemporary economy of Pakistan in creative and rich and stems from the historical and cultural roots of the country the art and craft talents of the people in this country are represented across province, national as well as international levels (Ministry of Finance of Pakistan, 2013). Many researches show that the urban centres of Pakistan and the evolving middle class segments of the population are high potential grounds that create the opportunity for creativity. As such, the education sector of Pakistan shows high consideration of the art and craft education of the students among the lower as well as higher levels of education. The higher education system of the country, especially focus on the development and encouragement of a multiple and diverse range of creative and artistic talents like musical, literary and performance talents. Since, the diverse set of musical, performing art, artistic and literary activities attract nationwide interest, therefore, the college level and university level education system of the country include mandatory as well as optional courses designed for teaching artistic and creative disciplines to the students in this country. As per the literature prepared and presented by Taha (2011), in the rural setting of the country, educative programs are being developed to support the students from the rural areas to become more skilled so as to get the opportunities to work in the design and creative sector (Taha, 2011). The rapidly evolving digital industries in the country have created multiple work opportunities for the potential employees who have studied in the art and craft discipline. Therefore, many students in various cities of Pakistan show the interest to continue higher education in various arts and craft based subjects like literature, art, music, design etc. Economic Contribution of Art and Craft education towards Employment The available data and evidences in different literary works suggest that the art and craft industry in Pakistan is an important contributor for the employment base and scopes in Pakistan. On a national level, as much as 30% of the employees are found to be working in the art and craft related services sectors. Thus, the development of the higher education systems in these fields holds high value for both the employers and the students in the country. As identified from a paper published by the International Labour Organization (2012), apart from the domestic opportunities, these students also get employment opportunities overseas because of which the preferences for higher education in these domains are increasing among the Pakistani population at an accelerated rate (International Labour Organization, 2012). The rising number of employment opportunities in the creative and cultural industries is important for the population in the rural as well as urban areas of Pakistan. According to the publications of the Pakistan Education Task Force (2011), there are many indications that the employment activities in the interactive media, audio visual media, creative services and design services sectors are continuously increasing, especially in the urban regions of Pakistan and among the middle income population of the country (Pakistan Education Task Force, 2011). The employment opportunities related to performing art, music and literature, visual art etc. are fragmented and related to activities in many other cultural sectors. As such, the education system of the country concentrates on the modules designed for teaching these forms of art and craft which have demand in the international creative and cultural industries. Challenges faced by the art and craft higher education sector of Pakistan Ghulam (2007) has pointed out in his work that many differences in attitudes exist between the four different provinces of Pakistan i.e. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPK), Sindh, Punjab and Baluchistan, because they are much diversified in terms of customers, cultural histories, language and heritage. These differences have led to efficacy and inconsistency in the curriculum of education as implementable in these four provinces (Ghulam, 2007). As per the arguments of Muborakshoeva (2012), the socio political upheavals and cultural aspects of the country has made it essential to embed and incorporate art and craft education in the higher education systems. Though implementing the international education modules in the Pakistani education system is a difficult process, yet it is found to be necessary because contemporary modules of art and craft education are seen as the means of communicating, understanding and healing the population of the polarised and diverse communities in the country (Muborakshoeva, 2012). Pakistan is a resource rich country which has huge human and natural resources. But the main challenge faced by the country is the constrained resource exploitation capabilities. Educating the population while remaining connected to the cultural perspectives can be a useful strategy in ensuring better human resource development and utilization. As per the research report of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (2010), it can be identified that in the background of internal instability, geo political turbulence and democratic experiences, the education sector of Pakistan has been facing multiple and diverse challenges (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, 2010). Also, as identified by Rahman (2006), the education sector of Pakistan has been facing issues related to governance and management which has led to disparity in the higher level of education systems (Rahman, 2006). The future outlook of art and craft higher education in Pakistan The governments across the globe are focusing on the creative and cultural industries as important revenue generators and as significant drivers of social development and economic growth. This is also true for the Government of Pakistan. According to a report published by British Council (2009), the art, craft and related services segment account for more than 15% of the total employees in the nation (British Council, 2009). The contribution of the creative and cultural industries to the overall economic growth of the country is undeniable. Also, according to a research carried out by a famous German education based foundation Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (2012), it can be highlighted that the increasing priority given to the study of art and craft as major disciplines in the school and college syllabus in the last 10 years has been a main factor in boosting the cultural and economic growth of the country (Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2012). Cultural identity has always been important in Pakistan both at the individual level and at the national level. The people in this country take great pride in the diverse and rich heritage that they belong to. As per the work of Andrabi, Das and Khwaja (2006), the creative education sector in Pakistan is characterized by originality and vitality which are accepted and appreciated at an international level (Andrabi, Das and Khwaja, 2006). The art and craft education in the colleges and universities of Pakistan are developed by maintaining the roots of the tradition and at the same time managing the awareness related to global business and cultural trends. The main driver of the creative and cultural education systems and industries of Pakistan is the emergence of huge employment opportunities for the people in the domestic as well as international creative industries. The opportunities for the people educated in these art and craft forms are increasing on a continuous basis in the regional, national and global platforms. The people educated in diverse disciplines of art and craft find employment opportunities in the role of artists, workers, entrepreneurs and professionals. Art and craft education at the college and university levels are expected to encourage creativity, develop artistic skills and talents as well as enrich the existing cultural heritage of the country. Also, the implementation of arts and crafts modules and programs in the higher levels of education systems in the country are likely to create a more cultured, creative and artistically efficient human resource base that can represent the country in the international media, arts, crafts and other ancillary creative industries and sectors. Conclusion As per the creative economic analysis report of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, (2011), the traditional thrust of the economy of Pakistan was based on manufacturing sector. However, with time, the landscape of the economic situation in the country is changing and a wider interest and impact of the art, craft and cultural sectors are being recognised within the economy (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2011). It can be established from the forecasts of the Planning Commission of Pakistan (2011), the high value of the cultural and creative industries in Pakistan, especially in Islamabad makes it necessary for the government of Pakistan (Planning Commission of Pakistan, 2011). Other international bodies as well as the people of the country are also becoming more interested to foster art and craft talents and skills. Thus, the art and craft higher education in Pakistan, which was earlier a neglected part in the education system, is slowly gaining more importance. References Andrabi, T., Das, J., & Khwaja, A. I. 2006. A Dime a Day: The Possibilities and Limits of Private Schooling in Pakistan. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank. 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