ART KEY TO ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Nov 04, 2008
The new parents were shocked. And rightly so. “Are you sure these items were made by the children?†asked Dr. Jane Egau-Okou, the principal education officer at the Ministry of Education and Sports. “Yes,†came the reply from Agnes Nakabugo, the headmistress of Namugongo Girls’ Boarding Pr
By Nicholas Kajoba and John Eremu
The new parents were shocked. And rightly so. “Are you sure these items were made by the children?†asked Dr. Jane Egau-Okou, the principal education officer at the Ministry of Education and Sports. “Yes,†came the reply from Agnes Nakabugo, the headmistress of Namugongo Girls’ Boarding Primary School.
“Yeah, we made them ourselves. I can even demonstrate to you now,†confirmed Oliver Kabirigi, a Primary Six pupil, who had displayed an array of evening dresses tailored by her class. “I had no idea how to design clothes when I joined this school, but now see what I can do,†she said, pointing to her products at the school’s art and crafts exhibition recently. “I think I can earn some money even if I drop out of school now,†she said, beaming with pride.
While art and crafts is not emphasised in many schools, Nakabugo says they take the subject seriously because it is a lifelong skill.
“We try to tap all the talents to ensure all-round development of our girls in handiwork, sports, music and drama,†Nakabugo said.
“Some people think if children engage in art and craft, they do not perform well academically. But our experience shows that the best pupils in art and craft are also the most active and highest achievers in the classroom.â€
Nakabugo’s comments are backed by research studies. Research by Americans for Arts, a foundation that promotes arts studies in schools found a strong link between arts education at primary level and higher academic achievement at the secondary level.
“Arts education makes a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child and has been proven to help level the “learning field†across socio-economic boundaries. It has a measurable impact on the youth in deterring delinquent behaviour and truancy problems while also increasing overall academic performance,†the foundation says on its website.
Arts are much more than just handiwork, but are also fun for the children. Studies have shown the far-reaching benefits of an arts education.
“Arts education builds a school climate of high expectation, discipline and academic rigour, strengthens student problem-solving and critical thinking skills, adding to overall academic achievement and school success,†the website says.
Art also helps students “develop a sense of craftsmanship, quality task performance and goal-setting skills needed to succeed in the classroom and beyond.â€
Okou, who was the chief guest, said arts education was in line with the ministry’s policy of vocationalising education. She urged parents to support their children in promoting arts and crafts training.
“Exposure to production skills is the greatest gift you can give your child,†Egau said. “Arts education is not just about drawing, but it trains the children to think creatively. It also gives the children business attitude as they start earning money from their crafts,†added Egau who bought crafts worth sh100,000. The art pieces were sold at between sh500 and sh5,000.
The school has twinned with Bure Park Primary School of Oxfordshire, UK to promote art. Chris Scrivener, the schools adviser of Oxfordshire County, said they invest heavily in art and craft because of the strong link between the subject, academic achievement and discipline. The twinning arrangement, he said, was to enable them learn from each other and part of their strategy in creating a global community. He said so far, 66 Ugandan schools have been linked to those in Oxfordshire. Scrivener brought art pieces made by pupils in his county and also took some made by Namugongo pupils.
The exhibited items included pottery products, clothes, textile materials in tie-and-dye, tablecloths, brooms, cards, calendars and drawings.
While the income from the craft industry in Uganda is unknown, it contributes $54m (sh108b) annually to the economy of West Virginia in the US. This demonstrates the potential of the industry as a major forex earner in Uganda if promoted and the strategy should be to instil the skills in the children at an early stage.
Facts about arts and crafts
Young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week through at least one year are:
- Four times more likely to be recognised for academic achievement
- Three times more likely to be elected to class office in their schools
- Four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
- Three times more likely to win an award for school attendance
- Four times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem
- Perform community service more than four times as often
Benefits of Arts
- Improve children’s academic performance.
- Children engaged in arts education are likely to have higher test scores than those with little to no involvement.
- Develop skills needed by the 21st century workforce: critical thinking, creative problem solving, effective communication and teamwork
- Teach children to be tolerant and open
- Allow children to express themselves creatively and boost confidence
- Keep students engaged in school and less likely to drop out.
Source: Americans for Arts
The new parents were shocked. And rightly so. “Are you sure these items were made by the children?†asked Dr. Jane Egau-Okou, the principal education officer at the Ministry of Education and Sports. “Yes,†came the reply from Agnes Nakabugo, the headmistress of Namugongo Girls’ Boarding Primary School.
“Yeah, we made them ourselves. I can even demonstrate to you now,†confirmed Oliver Kabirigi, a Primary Six pupil, who had displayed an array of evening dresses tailored by her class. “I had no idea how to design clothes when I joined this school, but now see what I can do,†she said, pointing to her products at the school’s art and crafts exhibition recently. “I think I can earn some money even if I drop out of school now,†she said, beaming with pride.
While art and crafts is not emphasised in many schools, Nakabugo says they take the subject seriously because it is a lifelong skill.
“We try to tap all the talents to ensure all-round development of our girls in handiwork, sports, music and drama,†Nakabugo said.
“Some people think if children engage in art and craft, they do not perform well academically. But our experience shows that the best pupils in art and craft are also the most active and highest achievers in the classroom.â€
Nakabugo’s comments are backed by research studies. Research by Americans for Arts, a foundation that promotes arts studies in schools found a strong link between arts education at primary level and higher academic achievement at the secondary level.
“Arts education makes a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child and has been proven to help level the “learning field†across socio-economic boundaries. It has a measurable impact on the youth in deterring delinquent behaviour and truancy problems while also increasing overall academic performance,†the foundation says on its website.
Arts are much more than just handiwork, but are also fun for the children. Studies have shown the far-reaching benefits of an arts education.
“Arts education builds a school climate of high expectation, discipline and academic rigour, strengthens student problem-solving and critical thinking skills, adding to overall academic achievement and school success,†the website says.
Art also helps students “develop a sense of craftsmanship, quality task performance and goal-setting skills needed to succeed in the classroom and beyond.â€
Okou, who was the chief guest, said arts education was in line with the ministry’s policy of vocationalising education. She urged parents to support their children in promoting arts and crafts training.
“Exposure to production skills is the greatest gift you can give your child,†Egau said. “Arts education is not just about drawing, but it trains the children to think creatively. It also gives the children business attitude as they start earning money from their crafts,†added Egau who bought crafts worth sh100,000. The art pieces were sold at between sh500 and sh5,000.
The school has twinned with Bure Park Primary School of Oxfordshire, UK to promote art. Chris Scrivener, the schools adviser of Oxfordshire County, said they invest heavily in art and craft because of the strong link between the subject, academic achievement and discipline. The twinning arrangement, he said, was to enable them learn from each other and part of their strategy in creating a global community. He said so far, 66 Ugandan schools have been linked to those in Oxfordshire. Scrivener brought art pieces made by pupils in his county and also took some made by Namugongo pupils.
The exhibited items included pottery products, clothes, textile materials in tie-and-dye, tablecloths, brooms, cards, calendars and drawings.
While the income from the craft industry in Uganda is unknown, it contributes $54m (sh108b) annually to the economy of West Virginia in the US. This demonstrates the potential of the industry as a major forex earner in Uganda if promoted and the strategy should be to instil the skills in the children at an early stage.
Facts about arts and crafts
Young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week through at least one year are:
- Four times more likely to be recognised for academic achievement
- Three times more likely to be elected to class office in their schools
- Four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
- Three times more likely to win an award for school attendance
- Four times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem
- Perform community service more than four times as often
Benefits of Arts
- Improve children’s academic performance.
- Children engaged in arts education are likely to have higher test scores than those with little to no involvement.
- Develop skills needed by the 21st century workforce: critical thinking, creative problem solving, effective communication and teamwork
- Teach children to be tolerant and open
- Allow children to express themselves creatively and boost confidence
- Keep students engaged in school and less likely to drop out.
Source: Americans for Arts