Mainstreaming of Craft Education in Kashmir

A Review of the Position Paper-National Focus Group on ‘Heritage Crafts’ (NCF 2005) in Kashmir Context-Challenges and Relevance

Abstract

Handicrafts are an integral part of Kashmir’s culture and economy, being one of the major activities of earning livelihood. The mainstreaming of craft education in the educational curriculum is a subject of concern for all the stakeholders, since any course or subject related to craft studies can’t be taught without relevant teacher training, resource individuals and institutions. In Kashmir, while the subject of ‘Heritage Crafts’ is taught only by the educational institutions affiliated to CBSE, the educational institutions affiliated with JKBOSE don’t teach the subject, though being an important aspect of NCF-2005 recommendations. In view of the increasing unemployment and under-employment, one of the major issues our educational system faces, is the production of a workforce that lacks the skills in the vocational fields which are intrinsic to this geographic region e.g., Pashmina, papier-mâché, namda, gabba, willow-work etc. The major reasons for this emerging scenario are the disconnect of educational theory with the educational practices. The educational theory and practices which may be applicable to the various Indian States with different geography, may not be applicable to this specific geographic region, thus being a major impediment to address the grassroots educational issues including the issues of teaching pedagogy and assessment aspects of our curriculum framework related to vocational subjects .The paper reviews the position paper of National Focus group on Heritage crafts –NCF- 2005, its challenges and relevance in the context of Kashmir.