40,000 SL students enlist in novel crafts push

Saturday, 11 March 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen (centre) joined by Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam (right) at the launch of NCC’s Shilp Navodha in Battaramulla on the morning of 6 March

As part of the revival of Sri Lanka’s historic arts and crafts, the country is now enlisting 40,000 school-goers across 225 schools to learn its time honoured traditions – and 10,000 students also trained on craft making, in a pioneering project by two top cabinet ministries.

“We thank our Education Minister for his support in enlisting children from 225 schools,” said Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen on 6 March at Apey Gama Crafts Centre in Battaramulla. Minister Bathiudeen was addressing the launch of Shilpa Navodhaa, the joint crafts competition and training program for Lankan school students across the country, conducted by the National Crafts Council (NCC) under his Ministry and the Ministry of Education. The novel project envisages to engage the country’s school generation to its historic arts and crafts traditions. Joining the March 6 session with Minister Bathiudeen were Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and NCC Chairperson Heshani Bogollagama.

“Sri Lanka’s crafts are attractive and have tourism earning potential. Our youth are not showing much interest in our crafts tradition, affecting its future. Realising this, the Ministry of Education and my Ministry of Industry and Commerce joined to create the Shilp Navodha crafts competition and training project,” said Minister Bathiudeen and added: “We thank Education Minister Akila Kariyawasam for his support in enlisting children from 225 schools across the country in this. We are educating 40,000 students and will train 10,000 of them to create crafts of their preference. Crafts are also a great way to generate income. For example, Laksala under my Ministry is reporting profits due to its great sales.”

According to NCC, in this novel initiative the students will be encouraged to select from a range of handicraft sectors such as clay, mats, fibres, cane and bamboo, masks and puppets, carvings, textiles, lacquer works, wood based crafts, in this novel initiative. The successful completion of the Phase I of this project shall likely result in Crafts Making becoming a subject in current national education curricula.