Malawi School Advocates for Creative Arts Education at Grassroots Level
The open day also featured musical entertainment, with performances by Malawian artist John Fire and UK-based acoustic singer Annemarie Quinn.
BLANTYRE, Malawi — A Blantyre-based international private school is calling on Malawian educational institutions to bolster creative arts education as a means to promote entrepreneurship from an early age, writes Steven Godfrey Mkweteza.
Mount View International School organized an open day on Saturday to showcase its students' artistic talents, emphasizing the importance of fostering creativity in young learners.
Dr. Narjeet Kaur, headteacher of Mount View, told reporters, "Creative culture is one of the fundamental pillars for self-sustainable livelihoods, and therefore it is important for students to be encouraged to develop the same at a very tender age."
The event featured 47 exhibitors presenting a range of creative works, including arts and crafts, paintings, food, music, and drama.
Kaur stressed that focusing on younger students is crucial. "We specifically chose the students from the lower class because it is in this class where pupils start learning everything," she said.
"Helping these children to know how to be creative at a tender age will help set them for success as they will be able to actively engage in their studies."
The headteacher noted that many Malawian youth are reluctant to pursue entrepreneurship, attributing this to a lack of early motivation in schools.
She suggested that promoting creative arts at the grassroots level could help Malawi advance its entrepreneurship culture and reduce unemployment, similar to neighboring countries.
Blessings Mphamba, one of the exhibitors, commended the school's initiative.
"Frankly speaking, I have welcomed the initiative because it has given the pupils the desire to be creative beyond school hours," Mphamba said.
"Pupils were taught why they should know how to love artistic work, the benefits of creative habits and the negative effects of lack of a creative mind or culture."
The open day also featured musical entertainment, with performances by Malawian artist John Fire and UK-based acoustic singer Annemarie Quinn.
Mount View International School's effort to promote creative arts education comes at a time when many countries are recognizing the importance of creativity and entrepreneurship in fostering economic growth and reducing youth unemployment.