Because of dwindling funds, and a marked preference for all things science, the arts seem to be facing a losing battle in schools. But far from accepting the orthodoxy that nothing can be done, some educationalists are ensuring the arts do not get left behind.
Derek West is no stranger to inspiring commitment to the arts in education. As former principal of Newpark Comprehensive School in Blackrock, and former President of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), the national organisation for second level principals and deputies, Derek is currently the education and arts officer for NAPD and involved in various committees promoting the arts in education. I caught up with Derek to find out more about NAPDs initiatives and to get his views about the arts-in-education moving forward through the elections and the current economic climate.
Despite what some people may believe, there are a number of initiatives aimed at raising the profile of the arts in schools. ‘Creative Engagement’ is the NAPD initiative. There are currently 60 schools involved, in a range of arts projects. NAPD provides some of the funding, drawing on grants made by the Department of Education and DTCS.
“NAPD is working on developing real links between students, artists and teachers. ‘Poetry Ireland’ has a ‘Writers in Schools’ scheme,” Derek says, “whereby school visits by writers are funded. These can be over an extended period of time, allowing for a lot of interaction and creative work by the students.”
Along with this NAPD are looking for greater collaboration with the Department of Education and the Arts Council:
“NAPD has been pushing for a more co-ordinated approach, both in its own policy document ‘The arts in our schools’ and by being involved in ‘Points of Alignment’, which was published three years ago by the Arts Council. The common thread here is that both documents are looking for joined-up thinking in the provision of the arts in schools, looking for co-ordination and co-operation between the relevant government departments.”
More recently, Derek and his committee have worked with IMMA, the Arts Council and Poetry Ireland on ‘Encountering the Arts’, a conference held last November in IMMA, with a view to bringing together those committed to the promotion of arts-in-education. They have looked at models not only from Cork but from European countries such as Holland, UK and Norway. Check out Cultural Rucksack from Norway.
Yet Derek acknowledges that many of these initiatives are coming from arts enthusiasts who need no convincing! The recession has drained much of the funding, and just now with the election looming there is diminished will-power from the politicians. Derek says “In the electioneering we heard of interest in the Cultural Rucksack (Norway) from Fine Gael and in ‘Points of Alignment’, but we have to wait to see who’s in the key departments before we renew the loose campaign.”
An immediate concern Derek has (one also shared by my sister Mary, a primary school teacher) is the arrival of a document from the Department of Education pushing literacy and numeracy as an educational imperative. Derek holds that “while there’s no doubt these are key areas of learning, there seems to be a zeal about pushing literacy and numeracy at the expense of other areas of learning (child-centred and arts-oriented) that contribute to a holistic education.” My sister Mary agrees. She believes that in fact, the arts can enhance the areas of literacy and numeracy if structured correctly. The arts are a portal to learning for children – for disadvantaged students especially, she feels.