Swazi Observer

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BUSHFIRE SCHOOLSâ€™ FESTIVAL GIVES BIRTH TO ARTS CURRICULUM

By Nomfundo Sifundza | 2018-05-24

THE MTN Bushfire Schools’ Festival has given birth to competency based education which is anticipated to be rolled-out in schools starting from Grade 1 in 2019.

The curriculum framework seeks to introduce new subjects such as expressive arts, music, drama, fine art, and dance to mention only but just a few.

Speaking during the MTN Bushfire 2018 Schools’ Festival open day on Tuesday, Minister of Education Dr. Phineas Magagula said Swazi MTN, who are the title sponsor of the schools’ festival and the European Union (EU), who have also been supporting the festival, should take pride in knowing that they have contributed significantly in building the country.

“You have contributed generously in giving the young Emaswati an opportunity to be trained and equipped for the future and to be able to create jobs for themselves and others,” he said.

The minister said the inclusion of arts in the school curriculum was indeed in line with the objectives of the festival which brings to light the importance of arts and underscores various ways of using arts education to empower learners through knowledge, self-expression, comprehensive sexual health education and individualised action.

Swazi MTN Chief Executive Officer Ambrose Dlamini said they appreciate that the MTN Bushfire Schools’ Festival has been developed to supplement formal arts and culture curriculum in public schools.

“Our aspiration is to ensure that training in the arts is systematised in the school curriculum and cascaded into all the schools in the country. Music and arts are too important to be left to an event that takes place once a year,” he said.

Dlamini said experience has shown that young people have a huge potential to excel in music and arts.

“We owe it to them to provide the right foundation as we take them under the tutelage of dramatists, musicians, artists and other creative industry professionals,” he said.

EU Ambassador Esmeralda Hernandez Aragones said this was important, because arts and culture play a very important role in human and social development.

“They help to shape societies as well as contribute significantly to enhancing people’s creativity,” she said.

The theme for this year’s MTN Bushfire Schools’ Festival is, “Child Social Protection.”

Participating schools include; Siphocosini, Ezulwini Community, St Marks, Lomahasha, Vulamasango, Swazi National, Mbabane Central, Ngcoseni Central, St Theresa, Bhekinkhosi High Schools, and Ekwetsembeni Special School.

Students from these schools got a rare opportunity to stand and perfom at the Bushfire main stage which will also be used by artists from all over the world for the main festival which is expected to attract at least over 300 000 fans from different parts of the world.

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