Drama Tuesday - Responding to existential threats to arts education

What is happening to the world of Arts Education internationally?

In my role as Chair of the World Alliance for Arts Education, I received the following message in an email from Greece:

Two days ago the Ministry of Education announced the weekly program for upper secondary education for the new school year 2020-2021 and they have eliminated the arts completely !!!

The arts, namely music, theater and visual arts, were among the elective subjects for pupils in their last three years of high school. In addition pupils had the opportunity to participate in interdisciplinary projects that usually included an art form and gave the opportunity to arts' specialists to collaborate with other specialists. Now everything has disappeared! There are no elective subjects. There are no arts in any form or in any way taught in upper secondary education. There are no projects any more. All of those hours have been re-allocated to other more highly valued subjects. (17 June 2020)

If this was happening in just one country we might be alarmed but just shrug our shoulders. But similar situations are being experienced in other parts of the world. In Australian Universities, the Federal Minister for Education, Dan Tehan announced changes that will favour maths, teaching and nursing units over humanities, commerce and law (Karp, 19 June 2020). 

How do we as an arts community respond to these threats to our work?

I share the Open Letter from the WAAE 

International Drama/Theatre and Education Association (IDEA)

International Society for Education through Art (InSEA)

International Society for Music Education (ISME)

World Dance Alliance (WDA)

Advocating for arts education worldwide – https://www.waae.online 

June 25 2020

An Open Letter from the World Alliance for Arts Education WAAE representing International Arts Education Professional Associations to:

Niki Kerameus, Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, info@nikikerameus.gr 

Sofia Zaharaki, Vice-Minister, Primary and Secondary Education, szacharaki@minedu.gov.gr 

Anastasia Gika, General Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education, sgika@minedu.gov.gr

I write to add the voice of the World Alliance for Arts Education WAAE to the many students and teachers of the Arts (Music, Dance, Theatre and Visual Arts) requesting the reversal of the decision by the Ministry of Education that announced the elimination of the Arts in the weekly program for upper secondary education for the new school year 2020-2021. The WAAE supports those who protest about the removal of elective programs in the Arts for pupils in their last three years of high school. This retrograde decision impacts on the lives of many and on the future of Arts Education in Greece.

The World Alliance for Arts Education WAAE is honoured to add our voices to the Departments of Theatre, Dance, Music and Visual Arts and professional organisations that represent specialist teachers from Greece, that are writing letters and petitions of protest. The Alliance highlights the negative impacts of this directive on students, teachers and ultimately the whole country.

Robust international research on the purpose, value and importance of arts education is rich and deep. The WAAE urges you to read and heed the research. Learning in, through and with the Arts shapes personal, social and cultural identity and is an entitlement for all students (see The UNESCO Seoul Agenda For Arts Education (2010) and the Frankfurt Declaration for Arts Education https://www.insea.org/docs/waae/WAAE-Frankfurt-declaration.pdf). 

The Arts contribute to the development of values, personal and interpersonal development. Learning in the Arts fosters creativity, innovation and persistence. In these times of crisis, the Arts play a significant role in mental and emotional health and wellbeing, as the current Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic is showing us all. The losses to individual students and teachers are devastating. They amplify the loss to the Greek education system as a whole from this decision. 

Please reconsider and rescind this directive.

The letter was signed by the members of the WAAE Executive Committee.

What is happening with Arts and Drama Education in your parts of the world?

What actions can you take at a local level when you see or hear of threats to arts education?

Why is a healthy arts education in schools and community valuable and necessary?

Why should we take action when we see an issue with arts education?

You will remember the famous quotation from Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Bibliography

Karp, P. (19 June 2020). Australian university fees to double for some arts courses, but fall for Stem subjects. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/19/australian-university-fees-arts-stem-science-maths-nursing-teaching-humanities

Martin Niemöller (1892–1984). Retrieved from https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/martin-niemoeller-first-they-came-for-the-socialists