Telangana varsities & colleges yet to embrace liberal arts under NEP

HYDERABAD: How the music and dance colleges run under the Department of Telangana State Language and Culture are allowing students to study music and dance as part of the new liberal arts education under the New Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020)?

The question assumes significance as the NEP-2020 does not recognise music and dance as a separate extracurricular activity. Further, it insists on the promotion of music, dance, and other native traditions of arts and culture as part of the liberal arts education.

This allows students studying various courses to take up music and dance education and earn credits for the same. However, how the colleges run under a government department facilitate credit transfer or study the music and dance education as part of the double degree programme allowed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) remain a million-dollar question for the students.

Clarifying the issue, Telangana State Langauge and Culture department director Mamidi Harikrishna said the music and dance colleges run by the department are affiliated to Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad. He said the main focus is on students from the age group of six years and above. There are students above 50 years of age who are learning music in our colleges.

There is no academic eligibility for entry, like in the formal education to learn music and dance. It more caters to those who are keenly interested in either music or dance. "Children, young, housewives, older, and people of all ages are students here," he added. Clarifying on the double degree and credit transfer, he said, "since the colleges are running on a part-time basis there is no issue for students to take admission. However, when it comes to credit transfer, "the educational institutions where they come from have to take the initiative.

The colleges and universities have to notify and get names of students who are interested to learn music and dance." Further, the NEP-2020 mentions about appointing a dedicated faculty by the institutions to teach when a good number of students want to learn a particular subject. "In our case, the colleges and universities can allow their students to join our colleges. And, the colleges are affiliated to a university, "We will provide them with a certificate of completion of a certificate, diploma or undergraduate level course. This enables students to earn credits for a course learned in music or dance. For this, the initiative has to come from the colleges and universities that want to offer to their students learning of music and dance as part of the credit-earning subject for their undergraduate level, he added.