Comedy of errors in question paper to hire art teachers in government schools

MT Saju| TNN | Oct 10, 2017, 12:27 IST

portrait.

CHENNAI: If a recent question paper for the selection of art teachers in government schools in the state is to be believed, the Jataka tales are `horoscope' tales and Michelangelo's famous work `The Last Judgement' is a `portrait'.

Prepared by the Tamil Nadu department of schooleducation, the bilingual (English and Tamil) question paper is riddled with factual and grammatical errors, reflecting a lack of understanding of the subject and making heritage and art enthusiasts see red.

A question asking `Rembrandt was famous for what?' had four baffling options: "Photograph', `morphological picture', `still life' and `devil picture'. Another question read, "Which was not found in Harappa's found terracotta seals (sic)?" "If this question paper was set by an experienced teacher or principal, imagine the quality of education he had," said Aravind Venkatraman, a heritage activist who has photo-documented Chola temples across Tamil Nadu.

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Italian Renaissance painter Michelangelo's fresco `The Last Judgement' on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican becomes a `portrait' in one question. Another question wants to know `which paintings are seen in the Ajanta caves' with the right answer given as `horo scope tales' instead of Jataka tales. "Can the children who come out of these schools be trusted for their competence in any field? At this rate, the children will take years to appear for common exams at the national and international levels," says Venkatraman.

"Something is seriously wrong here. I think this question paper was prepared without consulting experts in the field. It is a sad reflection on the state of affairs in a region which is known for the great Cholamandal arts school and other art movements," said M Sivakumar, an art teacher.