Yeanur Shifat
The weather was gloomy and suddenly it started to rain heavily. Everyone started to run here and there. Trying not to get wet on rain. I was in Bengal Boi, Dhanmondi 27 drinking my coffee, enjoying its artistic environment and seeing the rain from its wide glass window.
I was waiting for Nashad Sakeb, senior art teacher and co-creator of Drawing School, Dinajpur. An artist who is quite well known for watercolor, paintings, portrait and commission works.While the rain slowed down he apppeared saying apologies for being late. While talking about his art works I get know about a Drawing School which he is associated with and its name is Drawing School Dinajpur.
Drawing School Dinajpur (DSD) started its journey 6 year ago on 1 may with only 13 students and 4 teachers (including him and his father) at their very own resident. Where his father, Najmus Sakeb was the head of the drawing school, he was the senior teacher and his mother was the financial manager. While Nashad was saying how they actually planned to start an art school, he quoted, “Oneday dad come from office and said I quit my job and he was like he wants to start a drawing school and I was like what are you saying.” Now as the school is celebrating its successful 6 years it prosper into more than 500 students and 18 teachers who all are females. The school even has 8 students who are housewife or employed women. These 8 students are mostly are 40 years above and some of them are learning them with their daughter and son.
“Before we started our school we went for a field research on the other art schools, like why they are not getting success while we got to know that for females students security, class environment and teaching process those art schools were getting close as soon as possible and were not getting success” said Nashad while doodling on his sketch book and sipping coffee. The drawing school only hired females teachers from the very beginning just to ensure female students security. Until now all the teacher excluding Nashad and his dad is still females. They hired under privileged girls drawing teacher just to help them earning money. Their salary varies according to their skills. Every weekends they usually sit with these teacher on a general meeting to discuss matters. A teacher only takes 2 days class a week for which they get minimum 2000tk.
In their teaching process they don’t really rate any students art work. They eventually make that student judge his or her own art work and encourages them to do better by saying “ its good but you can do better here or this part can be more better.” They mostly make the student compare his or her own art work to her old one to do more better. Even though they don’t rate their students art works or take any kind of exams but they still have a level which is A to Z ( 28 levels) by which they differentials students skill and in what art form they proficient at. For example, watercolor, pastel or just sketch. While asked how they figure out the students present skill for the first time he replied saying we ask them to draw the thing he or she loves to draw and though this we find out in which level they are at and when they got the basic we let them chose what art form they want to do.
“We have don’t use any general teaching process. Mostly 1 teacher sits with maximum 10 students with her and shows them to draw. Even though we have a black board but we never really use it. We only use it to write things like there won’t be class or eid mubarak” said Nashad. The school only takes 350tk as it fees from the students. While asked why is it just 350tk he replied we don’t have to pay for the place as its at our own home and 500tk is quite decent amount at Dinajpur. They hold classes 4 days a week Thursday to Saturday and has 2 shifts 10am to 12pm and 3pm to 5pm. One student only do classes 2 days a week as they got their academic study to accomplished. Even some don’t find time to do class 2 days so they do 2 classes at they same day.
After the art school completed its 3 years successfully, its Head Najmus Sakeb open a new wing of its named “ColorChild”. The main intention of opening ColorChild was to help interested poor or under privileged children learn drawing for free of cost in their neighborhood. According to Nashad, “ Well , it may be sound harsh but there are some enthusiastic kids at our neighborhood who used to nose out in our school to see what is happening inside there. They wanted to join us but their parents didn’t had enough money to admit them so they can’t eventually”. Though at the very beginning they wanted to take 40 kids from their neighborhood but they ended up taking 50 kids. Every Sunday they hold a class for those kids where they supply art materials to them. If any students remains absent for few classes they use to watch out for them. In the event of any festivals or any disaster they used to collect donation from their family and friends and give gifts and help.
Recently as DSD successfully completed it 6 years they introduced its another wing which name hasn’t been decided yet. The wing is for good hand writing. While asked about the improvements that occurred during the last 6 years he said , “ At the beginning we started from scratch… like we only started with 13 students, little resources and a big dream. Then it grew and grew now it counts more than 500 and 18 teachers where at the beginning it just me, dad and mom. If I notify some more I would say our handwriting classes are going great. More guardians are gaining interest to give their children in a creative atmosphere, even though the awareness raising a bit slow but its happening and that’s the main achievement of ours”. This year they could not celebrate their 6 year anniversary as there was no class that day but are looking forward to celebrate it cutting a cake with all of its students and teachers.
More children are getting interest in being creative or learning draw but there is still a problem that due to their academic education they hardly had time to learn out of syllabus. As some students lefts art schools after their JSC exam cause afterward which they is not subject called Charukala so they don’t need to learn it. But a child should be allowed to learn creative skills for his or her own flourishment not just for some grades or marks. Parents are not willing to pay for creative things and they thinks its waste of time for their children.
