Fostering students’ artistic acumen vital for their holistic development: Alok Kumar

Jammu, Dec 16: Amid blistering performances, the three day UT level Kala Utsav 2022 concluded Friday at Teacher Bhawan, Gandhi Nagar, with Principal Secretary, Education, Alok Kumar, chairing the valedictory ceremony.
The function was attended by students and teachers of different educational institutes from across J&K.
Addressing a glittering award ceremony of the event, organised by Directorate of Samagra Shiksha J&K, Alok Kumar emphasized the need for promoting art in education at all levels. “We need to recognise the importance of aesthetics and artistic experiences for our students which play a major role in creating awareness on rich cultural heritage and vibrant diversity of our UT and the country” he maintained.
While underlining the need of organising such programmes on regular basis at school level, Principal Secretary said that the aim of Education is not only to preserve and transmit our diverse cultural integrities to coming generation but its transformation is far more significant. He maintained that the Union Ministry of Education has been implementing various schemes for providing better platforms to children for showcasing their talent in different fields. He asked for raising awareness among the masses especially the parents to avail maximum benefit of these initiatives, so that no child remains un-educated and unattended.
Principal Secretary expressed gratitude to all the participating students for displaying their scintillating performances. He reiterated that Kala Utsav aims to promote art by nurturing and showcasing artistic talent of the students, which is envisaged in the NEP and now we are moving from co-curricular activities to curriculum in form or art as per NEP. Such programmes provide platform for our budding youth to judge their aptitude in comparison with the students of other parts of country” he added.
While highlighting the significance of art in present era, Alok Kumar stressed on launching a comprehensive talent hunt so that the aptitude of the nation doesn’t go unexplored. He also praised the efforts of teachers for their tireless work and Samagra Shiksha team for making Kala Utsav-2022 a grand success.
Project Director, Samagra Shiksha, Deep Raj, in his address, said that efforts are being made to encourage students to participate in different co-curricular activities in addition to their regular education so that they become a source of inspiration for others.
He said that more than 26350 students from various schools from across the UT participated in this year’s Kala-Utsav competitions, of which, 40 students were selected at UT level and among them 20 have been selected for National level today. “The access of each and every student to quality education is our priority and Samagra Shiksha is committed to mobilise all its resources to attain this cherished goal under the dynamic leadership of Principal Secretary”, he added.