Union Minister for Culture Smt. Chandresh Kumari Katoch has said that the role of the Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) is extremely critical in the country at a time when we have a generation growing up in a highly commercialized, consumption – driven world. Inaugurating a four-day training programme for the Directors of the ZCCs here today she said, in an era of satellite channels it is a challenge for the people to select a right direction as the choices before them may have many external influences. She said, in such a situation the role of ZCCs, preserving, promoting and disseminating of different art forms and enriching consciousness of the people about their cultural heritage will prove useful.
The Minister said, the training programme is a small beginning by the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) to put into place a system where different organs of the Ministry of Culture are able to benefit from each other. She said, her Ministry has 45 associated organisations but this is one of the 1st initiatives where one organisation is helping out another. The expertise that CCRT has in training will prove useful for the Zonal Cultural Centres who organize a variety of programs such as seminars, lectures, etc. related to culture and cultural education.
Lauding the role of CCRT, she said, CCRT is an Institution that encourages intellectual growth. It was established with the purpose of bringing into the educational fold the rich cultural resources of the community in the arts and craft traditions, and to evolve methodologies and pedagogies of using this for purposes of teaching subjects, such as arithmetic, language, etc. CCRT’s main thrust has been to make students aware of the importance of culture in all development programmes by conducting a variety of training programmes for in-service teachers, teacher educators, educational administrators and students throughout the country. The purpose was also to establish equity between those who may have been illiterate or semi-literate, but highly talented, and those who were instructors in the educational system, but had little knowledge of arts and craft traditions. The intention was not to teach them about the arts and the crafts. The purpose was to develop cultural resources that would aid education through the arts.
The Minister said, CCRT trains 10,000 teachers in India’s teaching population of 70 lakhs. In order to increase their data base CCRT has started collaborating with similar stakeholders like CIET of NCERT, IGNCA, INTACH and other reputed agencies. The aim is that the benefit of resources and methodologies of linking education with culture should reach far flung areas also. She said, CCRT is also initiating the Distance Learning programme on cultural education.
CCRT has conceptualized two training programmes for the Directors of the Zonal Cultural Centres and existing staff of Zonal Cultural Centres and other cultural institutions from June 25-29, 2013 and from July 23-27, 2013 respectively.