| dc.description.abstract | The present study is an attempt to identify and
articulate characteristics of an appropriate art
programme for Secondary schools and Teacher Training
Colleges in Kenya and to plan for their maximum
realization.
Investigation of this study is centred around
prevailing theories on main goals for Kenyan
education, for art education in general, and for
art education within thin Kenya specifically. A final
area of investigation examined prevalent theories
and ideas on the integrative nature and role of art
education. It is of the utmost importance that the country should
promote its social and cultural values based on the
philosophy of African Socialism and its African
tradi tions of political democracy and mutual social
responsibility. Man was created to know and to love and out of the
various combinations of these two capacities spring
all his potentialities which is the obligation of an
educational system to develop. The following methodological
steps were used to organise the project. In 1977 the writer made a three week study visit to the
Institute of Education, London University. The Schools
Council organized a programme of visits to schools and
colleges as well as postgraduate Art Education Seminars
in the Institute. Other information was obtained from
the E. A. Examinations Council, the Kenyatta University
tollege Library and the Inspectorate. Empirical data on th
practical aspect of what is done in schools have been gathered from all schools teaching art to Advanced
Certificate Level through the questionnaire. The
information was checked by observations and interviews,
with the same teachers who answered the questionnaire,
at six different schools visited. Information was
also obtained by conducting activities undertaken in
Art and movement workshop sessions at Kenyatta University
College and a chapter on New and Renewable
Sources in Art Education is included. Chapter VI
forms the basis for a much needed handbook in Kenya. Reference was made to the Bessey Report of 1972
inquiring into the Status of ,Art and Music in schools.
The Report is concerned with Art as part of the
curriculum in schools in Kenya. It was the responsibility
of a committee headed by Gordon S. Bessey
to compile a report on education in primary and
secondary schools of Kenya, inquiring into the status
of Art and Music in the schools. This thesis adds
to these findings wi th the statistics for Art both
'A' and '0' levels for all schools from 1975-1980
together with the statistics from the questionnaire
bringing the information about the teaching of Art
to 1981. Also included in this thesis is the writers syllabus
for Primary Teachers Colleges which was accepted by
Kenya Institute of Education and from which they
produced their Third Draft Syllabus for Primary
Teachers Colleges and a Draft Syllabus for Art
Education at Kenyatta University College. The findings of the research show that in Art
education the European model that is being imitated
belongs to the nineteenth century and not to the
present. Specifically at the primary school level
and quite often at the secondary school level the child is taught to copy conventional realistic
drawings from text books. A look at the Kenyan
experience, based on this study, shows that most of
the problems of art education in Kenya arise from the
shortage of art teachers, the lack of teaching materials,
and the nar-r-ow circumscri bed school art programmes which
have stemmed from a lack of direction and concrete
proposals. Those who are or may be connected wi th the
purpose and planning of art education in Kenya should
take into consideration the following vital points. | en |
