Music in schools
THIS is apropos of Irfan Husain’s column ‘A culture vulture’s diary” (March 24). At my cousin’s school, the principal instructed the teachers to distribute certificates of merit among pupils who have achieved 80 per cent or higher marks in any subjects except for arts and crafts.
I find the attitude towards the arts extremely disappointing. In Pakistan, any form of art has never been appreciated and it is almost always declared ‘un-Islamic’ or ‘haram’ by mullahs and their ideological cousins.
No nation can advance without understanding the significance of arts. Art provides not only food for thought, but also expands and enriches people’s minds by educating them in lessons of altruism and love.
There is also a need for music classes, which should be offered from school to the university level, so that students can learn about this form of art, which is surely nourishment for the soul and will also open new windows of income for jobless artists.
DR MEHWISH GHAZANFER
Karachi
Source: Dawn
Date:3/30/2010
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