Saturday 31 January 2015

Essay 62 (Govt. Funding for Performing Art Students)



IELTS Essay Question, Kottayam 29/1/2015

Some people believe that training courses of performing arts (eg. dance, music, drama etc.) should be funded by government.  Others believe that they should be done through other ways (eg. business or student’s family).

Discuss both view and give your opinion.

There is a view that government should provide financial support to talented students who intend to pursue a career in performing arts such as dance, music or theatre.  However, many people believe that taxpayers money should not be wasted for this purpose, and students should look for sponsorship from other sources like corporates or their own families.  This essay examines both perspectives.

On the one hand, state funding for students of performing arts is one of the best ways to conserve arts and culture, which is a major responsibility of the government.  This is very relevant today as the number of students opting for careers in such disciplines is declining and government’s patronage in this area would encourage an increasing number of students to choose performing arts.  For example, the government of Kerala in India provides free training to art aspirants in traditional performing art forms of the state like Kathakali, Mohiniyattam and Thullal, in a prestigious art-school called Kerala Kalamandalam. This initiative from the government has played a major role in generating interest in young Keralites in traditional performing arts of the state.

On the other hand, critics contend that since it is mostly students themselves who benefit from art education they should seek aid from other sources such as corporate funding and their own parents. For instance, like any other professionals musicians, dancers and actors also earn large sums of money from stage shows and other public performance. They also believe that since enormous amounts of money is required to fund art education, it would become an unnecessary liability for government, as it has more important priorities to deal with.

A close examination of both views reveal that it is necessary for government to sponsor art education because many parents are not financially capable of shouldering this responsibility and corporate funding is often impractical.

In conclusion, although it may be a serious financial obligation, government should not hesitate to support art students financially because safeguarding the cultural traditions of a country is one of it’s primary responsibility.

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