Music and fine arts along with literature and drama play significant role in enriching the cultural life and education of the people.
Unfortunately not much importance is given to culture and its various aspects by the state with the result that these sectors have been more or less ignored.
No state government has paid adequate attention to the task of providing education and training to the children and youth in fine arts, music, dance and drama.
Though Jammu and Kashmir has rich traditions of fine arts and music still the State authorities did very little to promote these branches of culture in a planned manner.
It was due to the efforts of various artists and musicians and their organisations that the State government agreed to set up two institutes at Srinagar and Jammu for providing education and training in music and fine arts in 1966 under the State's Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.
The objective of setting up these institutions was to generate interest among various sections of the society in the fields of fine arts, music, dances etc and to provide necessary training to the students in these subjects.
Later the Cultural Academy started giving diplomas and degress to the students studying in these institutes.
But since these were not recognised by various institutions and governments those getting training in these subjects could not secure jobs.
It was for this reason that the institutes were affiliated with the universities of Kashmir and Jammu in 1972 and the degrees conferred on the students by the two universties were recognised by other institutions and agencies in the country.
But unfortunately no steps were taken to start post-graduation courses in these subjects with the result that the students from the State had to go to other institutions outside the State for this purpose.
Moreover the institutes lack adequate funds and infrastructure to function as effective education institutions imparting education and training in fine arts and music.
It was in 1986 that a proposal to separate these institutes from the Cultural Academy was mooted and a high power committee was set up to determine the future status of these institutions.
In 1990 the committee which met under the chairmanship of the then Governor decided to transfer the two Institutes to the Education Department to be managed as the government colleges in fine arts and music at par with other colleges.
Understandably the Cultural Academy lacked requisite expertise and resources to manage the affairs of these institutions.
This resulted in their total neglect.
The right thing for the government would be to hand over these institutes to the Universities of Kashmir and Jammu to function as faculties with post-graduate courses and research facilities in music and fine arts.
At the same time music and fine arts should be introduced as subjects in all the educational institutions to impart basic knowledge and tarining to the students in these subject.
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